


Nice Guys Finish Dead Last

by KizuKatana



Category: Naruto
Genre: ALL the miscommunications, College AU, F/M, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mentions of homophobia, Mutual Pining, SasuNaru - Freeform, Slow Burn, So many miscommunications, That there could ever be, Typical teenage "head up their ass" angst, ooc, unrequited (or maybe not) love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-26
Updated: 2014-07-13
Packaged: 2018-01-26 15:42:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 118,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1693670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KizuKatana/pseuds/KizuKatana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Naruto had been a straight-laced guy all through high school, and what had it gotten him? Rejected by his best friend for a series of one-night-stands. He was SO done with that. (some OOC: darker Naruto, sexual Sasuke) Yaoi (boyxboy) SasuNaru, college AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. High school had sucked

**Warning 17+ only: Homophobic readers please hit the back button NOW.** Not appropriate for young readers.

 **Disclaimer** \- Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. Sasuke would dispute that claim.  Either way I make no money on this.

 **HUGE STORY WARNING:** This story was originally posted by request from one of my readers (on another site) who asked what else I was working on, outside of what I had already posted. I am an insomniac writer, and I write two kinds of stories when I can't sleep. One where the plot percolates in my brain for months, and the story comes out fully formed and reasonably complex (Opposite Sides, Deception, and Thin Line were those kinds of stories). Then there is the kind of story where I get some crazy scene in my head that won't let go, and I have to purge it out, even if it is trashy or cliché. This story falls into that latter category (is both trashy and cliché, actually), and I had written it as a guilty pleasure never meant to leave the safety of my laptop. But I agreed to post it for her, and now I have written quite a lot of it, so I decided I might as well archive it here.  It is YET ANOTHER college AU fic.  I know, right?  I am so sorry.  Read it as tongue in cheek if it helps, or you can skip it if this general theme is too overdone for you.  But it was fun for me to write, and easier to write than my other fics which sometimes stress me out.  This gives me a bit of mental bubblegum. There will be A LOT of sexual themes in this, both het and yaoi (see the OOC warning in the description), and also drug and alcohol use.  If you need an angelic Naruto, you will hate this story. Core pairing (the only actual relationship in this story) will be SasuNaru.

-xXx-

Naruto had thought it couldn't get any worse than his senior year in high school, when he had just discovered that he was having 'more than friend' feelings for his best friend. Who then out of the blue started dating the girl that Naruto had liked all through school up until that point. Yeah, that had sucked. Naruto thought that had been the worst week of his life.

" _Sasuke... yes, Sasuke... mmmm, Sasuke... oh, god, yes!"_

Listening to the sounds of a headboard slamming against the wall while a random female voice screamed out his friend's name through the thin walls of their dorm room, Naruto decided he had been wrong. This was soooo much worse.

_"Ooooh, Sasuke... god you are... ahhhhh... so good, baby!"_

He lay on the couch of the shared living area of their dorm suite, waiting for his best friend to finish fucking his current one-night-stand in their room, wishing he could be living anywhere else. Mars? Yeah, Mars sounded good. Who needs oxygen, anyway? Clearly not that moaning girl currently fucking Sasuke's brains out in their room.

And tried to shut out the sounds, closing his eyes. He thought about all the ways that he had messed everything up for himself and destroyed the most important relationship in his life. Starting at the beginning of last year, when they were seniors in high school.

. . .

_"Hey, Sasuke..." Naruto looked at his best friend consideringly as they sat on the bed in Sasuke's room playing video games. It was their usual habit on weekends. "Why don't you ever date anyone?"_

_"Hn," Sasuke grabbed the fully automatic weapon and aimed it at the sniper that had been shooting at them from the roof._

_Naruto paused the game, forcing Sasuke to pay attention to the question._

_"I'm serious. For years, girls have been asking you out. Even the really hot ones. Sakura-chan would sell her right arm for a date with you, and EVERY guy wants to date her."_

_Sasuke's brows twitched in annoyance. "Why would I want to hang out with some annoying girl all the time? All they talk about is their clothes, or their hair, or stupid chick movies or stupid chick music."_

_Sasuke unpaused the game and continued shooting._

_Naruto paused the game again._

_"Did you ever think maybe you just don't like girls? Maybe... you like guys?"_

_Sasuke froze. "What the fuck, Naruto? Are you accusing me of being gay just because I don't want to bang that dumb pink-haired girl like you do?"_

_Naruto hadn't expected his friend to get so pissed. He raised his hands placatingly. "No! Sasuke, don't be mad. I just... I just wanted you to know, that if you were gay, I'd be cool with it. We'd still be friends. I really don't care about that kind of stuff, anyway. I mean... my guardian writes porn on the side of his teaching career for a living. I'm cool with whatever. You could tell me. We're best friends, right?" Naruto knew he was repeating himself, but he didn't want Sasuke to misunderstand. He wasn't trying to make fun of him. He really just wanted to reassure him. It didn't look like it was working._

_Sasuke looked at him with narrowed eyes. Naruto wasn't the first person to accuse Sasuke of being gay. It was a common theory for why he didn't date any of the girls that basically tried to suck his dick as he walked to class. He had seriously considered padlocking his zippers. But he hadn't expected Naruto to say anything. He thought Naruto understood that he just wasn't interested. Sasuke didn't even have that many friends. He just really didn't like people. They were so annoying._

_People always wondered why Sasuke hung around Naruto, whom most would say was more annoying than your average person. But the blond had been a part of his life for so long, and Sasuke had grown accustomed to his presence in his life. Even - depended on it, though he'd never admit that. They had met in middle school when they were twelve, just after Sasuke's parents had died. He and Naruto had both been the 'new kids' in the school. Naruto had just been reunited with his long-lost guardian, some porn writing pervert who had been missing for years while Naruto was bounced around various foster homes. And Sasuke had moved in with his older brother Itachi, who was going to college in Konoha. Neither Sasuke nor Itachi had wanted to live in the family mansion right after their parents' deaths... too many memories to come to terms with._

_At twelve, Naruto had been skinny and awkward, and his clothes had been cheap and unfashionable. So he had gotten teased and picked on. Sasuke had been swarmed with attention, especially by the girls, because of his looks and money. But he had still been dealing with the death of his parents and the last thing he had wanted was to talk to people. They had both snuck out of the lunchroom to eat their lunches in peace on the roof, and had been unhappy at finding someone else with the same idea. At first, they had been wary of the other, eyeing each other in hostile silence, but when it became clear that they both wanted the same thing - to eat lunch in peace - they had fallen into an easy habit. And eventually the silence had been broken, and they had started having small conversations. These conversations had grown over time, and they discovered they had a lot in common, neither having parents and both having damage. But they also had differences that complimented each other, Sasuke being quiet and serious, Naruto being energetic and relatively cheerful. So the unlikely pair had formed a tentative friendship that had continued to deepen through the years, until Naruto couldn't even imagine life without Sasuke, and vice versa._

_When Naruto had hit high school, his awkward phase had ended when he had a major growth spurt and the teasing stopped. He had grown into his body and looks, and started getting more attention from girls. He had also gotten better at sports, earning him more friendship with guys. He and Sasuke had joined the soccer team together, where Naruto was pretty decent midfielder and Sasuke was one of their strikers. People joked about the way they were able to communicate almost telepathically on the field together, but it was just another facet of their friendship that they built out. Neither intended to pursue sports in college. It was something to put on their applications, which they had filled out together to the schools that Sasuke had chosen, since Naruto still didn't have any idea what he wanted to do with his life. Naruto's plan was basically to stick with Sasuke through college, and he'd figure out what he wanted to do with his life along the way._

_"Look, have you ever tried anything with a guy?" Naruto wasn't sure why he was pushing this so hard when his friend clearly didn't want to go there, but he really felt like he needed to help Sasuke figure this out. In a little over a year, they'd be off to college. That's when everyone seemed to find the person they were meant to be with. He just wanted to be sure his friend was looking in the right section. More than anything, he just wanted Sasuke to be happy after all the tragedy his friend had been through._

_"Like what, idiot?"_

_"Look, I know that tons of girls have kissed you, even if you didn't kiss them back. So you know what it feels like to kiss a girl, right?"_

_"If you mean to be molested by one, then yes."_

_"And you never felt a spark, right?"_

_Sasuke just rolled his eyes._

_"All I'm saying is maybe you should try kissing a guy, and see if that does it for you."_

_Sasuke just looked at Naruto like he'd grown two heads. "You are such an idiot."_

_"What?" Naruto sounded offended. "I'm serious. There's nothing wrong with it."_

_"So have you ever kissed a guy?"_

_"No! I like girls. I already know that. I've had a crush on Sakura since like sixth grade. And you know I've made out with a couple of the girls I dated this year. But you haven't ever liked anybody. I think it's because you are just looking at the wrong team."_

_"Dobe, we're in high school. Even if there are gay guys here, nobody is out yet. What are people supposed to do, just walk up to random people and kiss them, hoping they are gay and won't punch them in the face? Besides, I'm not gay."_

_The comment sure seemed like Sasuke might have actually considered this, despite all his denials. Naruto pushed on ahead. "Why don't you kiss me then. I won't punch you, even if I'm not gay."_

_"What. The. Fuck."_

_"Seriously! We're best friends, so who cares. You've seen me naked in the shower about a million times, and kissing is less intimate than that. Just see if you like guy lips better than girl lips. If you do, then we'll find you a nice boyfriend and you can finally tell all your fangirls that you're gay and maybe they'll actually leave you alone."_

_"That's the dumbest idea I've ever heard. And I told you, I already know that I'm not -" Sasuke was cut off as Naruto pressed his lips against his mouth. They stayed there, frozen for a second, then Sasuke shoved Naruto off the bed, and he landed on his ass on the hardwood floor._

_"Seriously, dude. That was the dumbest idea ever. I already told you I'm not gay. I'm going to get some food"_

_Sasuke got up and stalked out of the room._

_Naruto sat there on the floor, his fingers tracing his lips. This had not gone like he'd planned at all. Naruto hadn't had a serious girlfriend, because he was still pretty much hung up on Sakura. But he had dated a few girls, and made out with them. And liked it. When he jacked off, it was always to thoughts of girls. He had never kissed a boy before, or even considered it. But kissing Sasuke was... way hotter than any of the girls he had kissed. Like really, REALLY hotter._

_Not sure how he felt about that, Naruto had grabbed his backpack and headed home, mumbling some excuse to Sasuke on his way out. What had started out as an experiment to help his friend figure out his sexuality and suddenly upended what Naruto thought about his own. He didn't really care about the fact that he was probably at least bi based on what had just happened. The problem wasn't that he had realized he was hot for a guy. The problem was he realized he was fucking_ **_on fire_ ** _for his best friend. Who evidently had not felt anything at the kiss, so the feelings were not mutual._

_That night, he had lay in bed thinking about that kiss. Thinking about Sasuke. Sasuke was... really hot. Naruto had always known that his friend was good looking. I mean, you look up 'attractive' in a dictionary and they had the guy's picture there. You didn't have to be a girl to see it. But it was more the way he thought just generally something was aesthetically pleasing or not. He had never personally felt sexually attracted to Sasuke. I mean, they were **friends**. Had been friends forever. But when he had kissed Sasuke, and felt the heat of their bodies so close, he had been shocked by the flash of out-of-control lust that had speared through him. He hadn't even felt that turned on when Sakura had shown up at Ino's pool party in a string bikini this past summer. And he had jacked off to that little visual for months._

_And it just got worse from there._

_The next day was Monday. And at soccer practice, when everyone was hitting the showers, Naruto couldn't help notice how smoking hot Sasuke's ripped back and abs were when he came out of the shower dripping wet with just a towel around his waist. Sasuke had caught him staring, and Naruto had blushed and looked away. Sasuke had come close and growled in his ear, "I'm not fucking gay." Then stalked off._

_Naruto had stood there, hoping like hell he wouldn't get a hard-on, since all he was wearing was a towel. He had jammed on his jeans and for the first time in forever, hadn't walked home with Sasuke but instead gone back to his empty apartment alone. They didn't talk for almost a week except for at lunch and in class, and even then it was awkward. Sasuke seemed pissed, and Naruto kept feeling tongue-tied as he tried to get over the fact that he had the hots for his best friend._

_Their friends had noticed. Kiba had pulled him aside after lunch and asked why he seemed like he was avoiding Sasuke, and giving him weird looks. Naruto had just shrugged and said nothing was wrong, he was just getting stressed about senior year stuff and thinking about college. Kiba clearly hadn't believed him, but what was Naruto really going to say? 'Hey, I kissed Sasuke because I thought he was gay. And it turns out he isn't, but I am.' Yeah, not going to say that._

_But the awkwardness kept dragging on. Another week passed and things were getting worse. Sasuke would look at him sometimes with this horrible, hurt expression on his face, that Naruto hadn't seen since they had first met. Since it wasn't going to go away on its own, Naruto decided he needed to come clean and tell his friend. I mean, they were best friends, right? Sasuke might not return his feelings, but at least Naruto would clear the air and explain why he had been acting so weird. Maybe Sasuke's initial freak-out over the whole gay thing was just surprise. He hoped it wouldn't piss him off too much. But he'd rather have Sasuke pissed at him than hurt. He didn't want to risk losing their friendship over hormones, but Naruto knew that his silence on this was doing damage anyway. If he was going to fuck things up, he might as well do it being honest rather than doing it by hiding the truth poorly._

_He had decided he would tell Sasuke after practice that day. He'd been waiting for Sasuke at their lunch table when the lunchroom had been disrupted by a high pitched squeal of delight. Naruto turned to see Sasuke standing next to Sakura, the girl looking up into his eyes, him smiling down at her (very slightly smiling, but still smiling). They walked over together carrying their lunch trays, and sat down across from Naruto. It was the first time Sakura had ever sat at their table._

_"Sasuke-kun just asked me out! Can you believe it? After all this time!" Sakura was positively beaming._

_Naruto just looked at Sasuke, who's gaze was fixed on the pink-haired girl. "That's... that's awesome, Sakura-chan."_

_Somehow Naruto's voice managed to come out sounding semi-normal. Sasuke turned and just looked at him. No explanation, no nothing. Naruto hadn't even known that Sasuke had been planning on asking her out. Hadn't the bastard just told him two weeks ago that he didn't even like her? That she was annoying? 'And he knows that I have liked her forever. What the hell?'_

_Naruto finished his lunch quickly and headed to class early. Luckily, he didn't have class with either of them for the next two periods. It would get him time to get himself under control. Everyone who saw him thought he was jealous of Sasuke and mad at him for asking out the girl Naruto had been crushing on for years. If they only fucking knew. He was jealous all right. Of Sakura. He wanted to be the one dating Sasuke._

_Over the next several weeks, with Sakura joining them for lunch every day, and coming over to Sasuke's house whenever Naruto was there, Naruto began to wonder what he ever saw in the pink-haired girl. Sure, she was pretty. And she was smart enough, and athletic, which he had always found attractive. But she was just... shallow. All she ever talked about was how handsome 'Sasuke-kun' was (and god, he hated how little-girlish her voice sounded when she said his name), or how good at sports 'Sasuke-kun' was, or whatever. Sure, she had an excuse for only talking about that kind of stuff when she hadn't ever had a serious conversation with the guy, but after they had been dating for almost a month and that was STILL all she had to say about him, Naruto just gave up. He couldn't ditch them at lunch, because all his other friends were there, too. But he started doing his homework with Shikamaru and Kiba rather than Sasuke. Especially when Sasuke and Sakura had started advancing in their relationship and making out in front of him. Not what he wanted to see._

_At. fucking. all._

_Sasuke would sometimes ask him if he were coming over after school, but after a while that stopped. Even their weekends, which had been **sacred** , got converted to Sakura time. It seemed like whenever Naruto was with Sasuke, Sakura had to be there too. He wasn't sure if Sakura was just there all the time, or if Sasuke just didn't want to be alone with him anymore. _

_They were drifting apart. And it killed him. He knew this all had started with that stupid kiss. Was Sasuke a homophobe? Was he trying to prove that he wasn't gay, or afraid that Naruto **was** gay? Either way, it pretty much sucked. Naruto wished he'd never tried to help his friend figure out his sexuality. What's that saying? Oh, yeah. No good deed goes unpunished. _

_In a way, what scared him more was the thought that this might just be the start of the normal transition of childhood friends to adult relationships. Friends got girlfriends then married, and drifted apart. You start off when you're young living in each other's houses, then ten years down the road all that's left is the annual Christmas card with the form letter telling each other what the year has been like. But he had never thought that would happen to him and Sasuke. They had shared something much deeper than just typical friendship. They had seen the darkest, most terrible secrets of each other's psyches. They had helped each other deal with crippling childhood traumas and family situations. They hadn't just been friends... they were brothers. How could a friendship like that fade? How could it be replaced by something shallow like sex?_

_Naruto felt numb. When he had wanted to help Sasuke find a girlfriend or boyfriend over the years, it was because he had wanted to help his friend, not find himself replaced. He had never even thought that could be possible. Life had forced both of them to erect thick walls to protect themselves, so thick that it would be almost impossible for anyone else to get inside. Sasuke behind his icy sarcasm, and Naruto behind his glib smiles. They both kept people at a distance, in opposite ways. But they had always been inside each other's walls, knowing everything about the other when no one else did. But now, Naruto found himself suddenly pushed out of Sasuke's inner walls. He was just another person now. One of Sasuke's many admirers. Sasuke was distant, and Sakura was always there. And inside Naruto's walls, Naruto found himself truly alone again. And it was killing him._

_So he had started to avoid Sasuke as much as possible. It was too painful to see his friend, but know he no longer could reach him the way he used to. Like rubbing on an open wound. So he searched for distractions. He didn't want to confide his feelings in anyone else. Sasuke was right - no one came out in high school, at least not THIS high school. Tolerance wasn't exactly its motto._

_So he ran a lot. Miles and miles every day, even after soccer practice. It cleared his head. And he found himself writing in some of the journals that they Perv had always given him on birthdays and holidays, saying that someday Naruto should take up writing on his own, rather than just editing the writing that his guardian did. And it helped, since there was no one he could confide in. He poured all his confusion, hurt, and unrequited lust into words on the page._

_But there were still three more months of high school to get through. At least people had stopped asking him about why he and Sasuke weren't tight anymore, with everyone basically accepted the idea that he was still mad at Sasuke over Sakura. Naruto wondered if Sasuke thought that, too. But there appeared to be no upside at this point of saying anything. His kiss had evidently 'scared Sasuke straight'. Now he seemed really into girls, or at least Sakura. And that made his reaction to any possible confession from Naruto not likely to go well. At least now, people had some sympathy for Naruto. But if he confessed to Sasuke, and Sasuke got pissed and told people, Naruto's life would be hell. He couldn't even imagine how his teammates would act in the showers after practice if they knew Naruto liked guys._

_The last thing he wanted was to be outed by an unrequited infatuation with the school's most popular boy, who was FINALLY dating the school's most popular girl. His life was was such a joke._

_He knew that there was a party for the seniors this weekend at Kiba's house. But he wasn't going to go. Over the years, living with an absentee guardian that social services had been just itching to find a reason to take him away from and put him back into a foster home, Naruto had gotten used to keeping his nose clean. He couldn't afford to be busted for under-aged drinking, truancy, or fighting at school. When he was in middle school, they had put him in temporary foster care twice for excessive fighting and his poor grades. They said the third time it would be permanent. So he had cleaned up his act in high school, and buckled down and gotten good grades. Of course, it had helped that he had suddenly become popular, so the teasing had stopped and there was less temptation to fight. Even though he was seventeen now and would graduate this year, he had gotten in the habit of skipping the parties. Plus, he really didn't want to go watch Sakura and Sasuke get it on, which he was sure by now they were doing. They had been dating for months._

_He decided instead to drive up to a creative writing seminar that was being held at the university where the Perv (Jiraya had never been able to break him of using that nickname) was an adjunct professor. The school took credit for the actual pieces of literature that the man wrote, and ignored his more profitable line of porn books he wrote on the side as long as he used a pen name and didn't involve his students. Naruto felt his phone buz, and saw a text from Sasuke. It had been almost two weeks since his friend had texted him. "Dobe - are you coming to the party tonight?"_

_Naruto gritted his teeth. It was like the bastard got off on having Naruto watch him with Sakura. Why else would he ask Naruto if he were going? He hadn't had a real conversation with him since he had started dating her. Naruto didn't waste time thinking about his reply. He was just so tired of this shit._

_"No, have other plans. Have fun with Sakura," Naruto texted back._

_"What plans?"_

_Naruto just ignored Sasuke's final text. He could just imagine telling Sasuke about the seminar, then having the asshole show up with his girlfriend just to rub it in. He decided he'd call the university on Monday to see if he could get his room assignment switched. He didn't care who he'd room with, as long as it wasn't Sasuke._

_He decided he'd try to meet someone this weekend. He had never really tried a casual hook-up, but he was tired of thinking about Sasuke, knowing now that it was never going to happen. He had liked girls before, and found out he now also liked guys. That should double his chances of finding someone he liked over the weekend. He was seventeen years old and was still a virgin. The two people he had had serious crushes on were now dating each other, and he didn't want to use any of his friends. This seemed like a perfect opportunity. And everyone said college girls were hot._

_. . . . ._

_Monday was almost surreal. He got to school to find Sasuke waiting at his locker, looking seriously pissed. "I came by your house over the weekend. Where the hell were you?"_

_"The fuck? You haven't been over in months. Why would I be sitting on my ass waiting for you to remember my existence? I was out."_

_"Out where? Everyone was at Kiba's Friday night. I went by your place, and you weren't home."_

_"You're not my keeper. I have other friends now. Not all of them go to school here."_

_Sasuke opened his mouth, most likely to ask who these friends were, when the bell rang. As expected, Sakura appeared and waited to be walked to class by her 'Sasuke-kun'. Luckily, Naruto's gag reflex had been weakened through months of watching them together, so he managed to just close his locker and walk away. He could feel Sasuke's eyes boring into his skull, though. Why the fuck was he so worked up? He'd made it pretty clear he didn't care much anymore._

_Naruto was still thinking about it in gym class later that morning, and forgot about his weekend activities until he heard Kiba screech out, "Naruto! You DOG! Who did you nail this weekend? Is this why you didn't show at my party?"_

_Shit. Naruto had just taken his shirt of to shower after gym, and had forgotten about the hickies that were on his chest. "Shove-it, dog breath. It's no one you know."_

_"Who is she? Come on, man, you gotta TEELLLLLL MMMMEEEEEEE. I need details."_

_Naruto had been hanging out a lot more with Kiba since he and Sasuke had... broken up? Stopped hanging out? Whatever. Naruto sighed as he headed into the shower. Kiba took the shower next to him to continue the interrogation. "Dude, you can't hold out on me. This is a major event in a guy's life. You gotta share all the juicy details. Was she good? Did she go down on you?"_

_Naruto rolled his eyes. He knew he shouldn't say anything. He knew that 'locker room' talk was lame and blah blah. But his ego and emotions had taken such a beating losing Sasuke to Sakura over the past several months that he just wanted to feel something other than depressed. So he dished. "Yes. And yes. She's a college girl," Naruto said, as though that explained everything. If the girl had been someone in this school, or someone that Kiba had any chance of ever meeting, he wouldn't have shared any details. But this had been a one-time deal. She was a junior in college and lived three hours away, and no one would ever meet her. And probably had only been into him because of his relationship with the Perv, though she had claimed to really like the writing sample that Naruto had brought to the writers' workshop._

_"You lost your virginity to a college girl... and she gave you head? Man, you are my hero!"_

_Naruto ignored the cat calls from his other guys in the locker room, though he did feel pretty proud in that moment. Hey, he might not have been able to land Sakura (or Sasuke, though no one would ever know Naruto had been thinking about that), but he had landed a college girl, which was about as close to a school-boy fantasy as existed._

_Naruto hadn't quite realized how fast the information was going to get around. Konoha High was a pretty big high school. But evidently word of the 'nice guy' Naruto getting laid by a college girl was pretty good gossip. Everyone was taking about it. Random guys he hardly knew were giving him high fives in the hall, and some of the more aggressive girls were checking him out more thoroughly, as though trying to see if his new experience would up him in the sex appeal hierarchy. Naruto was walking to his last class before lunch when he saw Sasuke standing next to Sakura at her locker, staring at him. Why was he looking pissed? Sasuke leaned down and kissed Sakura. Hard. Naruto ignored them and kept walking to his class. He hoped they got detention for making out in the hallway._

_At lunch, Kiba didn't stop talking about it. Asking all kinds of questions, like how it felt to get a blow job, did Naruto have pictures (or a video? please?) and could he hook Kiba up with a college girl, too. Sasuke just glared at him. It pissed Naruto off, so he answered maybe more questions than he would have otherwise. Talking about how hot she was. And he purposefully hedged on whether he was dating her, and wouldn't tell which university she went to, claiming he didn't want Kiba hounding her and chasing after her friends. Probably everyone assumed it would be a local university. It would make the relationship idea more believable. And since Sasuke was clearly annoyed with the idea of Naruto dating a college girl, Naruto wanted to keep that illusion going for a little bit. It was petty, but he didn't give a fuck. His best friend had dumped him for a girl he had claimed to not even like. So screw him. Evidently he had wanted Naruto to just hang out alone until Sasuke got bored of the inane conversations he had with Sakura and decided to call him. Not. Fucking. Happening._

_He noticed Sasuke staring at the hickies down his torso after soccer practice. Naruto just smirked, taking his time getting dressed after his shower. Uchiha wasn't the only one who could get laid. Sure, Sasuke had bagged Sakura. But there were other girls out there. Hot college girls. Who were way more interesting than pink-haired high school girls. And liked Naruto. He wondered if Sakura gave Sasuke head. The thought of the raven's head thrown back in ecstasy while someone was kneeling between his muscled thighs sucking his cock (and somehow that someone had morphed from Sakura to Naruto in Naruto's hormone-ridden imagination) made him break out into a sweat. Holy god, that would be so hot. Naruto almost groaned, feeling himself getting hard at the thought. He bolted out of the locker room and almost ran home. Getting laid had made fantasizing about Sasuke just all that more realistic. Now he had an even better idea of what he wanted to do to Sasuke. And what he wanted Sasuke to do to him. He jerked off to the image of Sasuke's chiseled mouth wrapped around his dick, rather than that of the cute brunette he had lost his virginity to over the weekend._

_This was not good._

_He couldn't wait until graduation. He would be spending the summer traveling with the Perv on a book tour (one of his legitimate books, not the porn stuff), so he wouldn't have to see Sasuke until the fall._

_He realized what a mistake it had been deciding to go to college at the same university as Sasuke. Sasuke wanted to go into business, so he had picked schools that had prestigious business schools affiliated with them. Naruto had never really given much thought on what he wanted to do. He wasn't as driven as Sasuke was, so he was content to tag along until he figured himself out. As long as he was with Sasuke, he hadn't cared much. But he felt their friendship slipping through his fingers. They had been inseparable for the past six years. Now they hardly ever spoke, at least - not about anything that mattered._

_Unlike in middle school, Naruto had worked hard in high school to keep his grades up. And while he wasn't going to be valedictorian (that would either be Shikamaru or Sasuke), he had made sure he got good enough grades that he'd be able to get into the same schools as Sasuke. They had even applied to room together in the dorms next year. Was it too late to change that? He didn't know where Sakura had applied, but if they all ended up at the same school he could only imagine the hell of having her basically living in their dorm room._

_He called the campus housing department to request a roommate change, but they had told him that the request would have to be filed one month after the fall semester started. They had a waiting period for switches to avoid the annoyance of people changing roommates every time they had a fight with the person they shared a dorm room with. And then, he could only switch if there was an open spot to switch into, or if someone wanted to swap._

_He just hoped he'd be over his infatuation with Sasuke by then. He hoped that a summer spent apart, with his perverted guardian doing everything in his power to distract Naruto, would help him move past it._

. . . .

But of course, it didn't work. He had come back to find out that Sasuke had broken up with Sakura, and moved on to the rest of the female population. And he got to have a front row seat. Fucking _fabulous_.

-xXx-

**_To be continued_ **


	2. New friends, new look

**Author's note:** So this story starts out with a relatively inexperienced Naruto. Over the course of this fic, his innocence and sweetness will slowly be peeled away, and he will become a bit harder. He'll still be a good person at the core, so not crazy OOC. But the darkness in his character will gradually build. And note also that we are only getting Naru's side of events here, largely. I am narrating this based on his perceptions, not as 'omniscient narrator', so if Naruto thinks Sasuke is mad, it doesn't necessarily mean Sasuke is mad, for example. If I were writing this from Sasuke's perspective, the story would be quite different and certain key events would have appeared to mean very different things. So don't hate on him too much. You will hear his side eventually. Remember they are both young and clueless here. All story events hinge on that precept. :-)

-xXx-

Naruto didn't look up when the giggling girl made her way from Sasuke's room to the hallway. Naruto wondered if Sasuke even bothered to say goodbye to her, or just shoved her off his bed. He certainly didn't walk her to the door. Next time, Naruto would be sure to remember NOT to leave his iPod in his bedroom. Then at least he wouldn't have to listen to it.

Their suite had two separate bedrooms, a shared kitchen, bath and living space. Their other two roommates (who shared the other bedroom) had already gone to sleep. Lucky bastards. Neji and Chouji were sophomores. Naruto didn't know them very well yet, but so far he liked both of them. Neji was generally quiet and kept to himself. He was good looking enough that he could probably have a lot more companionship if he wanted, but so far he had been pretty laid back with all that. Naruto wondered if he had a girlfriend that went to another school or something. Chouji wasn't exactly quiet, but he didn't have a lot of late night visitors. He was a good guy, but his portly physique didn't exactly make the ladies swoon. He didn't seem to mind, though. Naruto liked both of his suitemates.

He only regretted that he was sharing a room with Sasuke. Naruto had been told he had to wait two more weeks before he would be allowed to formally request a room transfer. And then wait god knows how long before they found him one. All the dorms were full, so it would have to be either a room where someone had dropped out, or where someone else was having roommate problems and wanted to switch. Which meant he could end up with someone worse. Watching a shirtless and disheveled Sasuke walk fluidly into the kitchen to get himself a glass of water, Naruto knew he'd jump at the chance to move, even if he ended up having to live with a psycho. He ached from having to watch Sasuke like this. And he burned with stupid jealousy when Sasuke let any random girl into his bed, but would barely look at Naruto.

"Asshole. You know that Monday and Wednesday nights are the only two nights I actually need to go to sleep early. I have bio lecture first thing on Tuesdays and Thursdays. You have the whole rest of the week to fuck in our room and I don't care. I already found other places to hang. Can't you just hook up in their rooms those days? Does it _always_ need to be here?"

Sasuke just smirked. "Jealous?"

"If there are any stains on my bed, I'm throwing you out the window."

Sasuke just continued smirking.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "We've only been at school two weeks, and you've already had sex with at least six different girls. I thought you just broke up with Sakura." Naruto had learned that from Kiba when he had returned from his summer trip with Jiraya two days before he had to move into the dorms. And for a brief moment, he had been hopeful that he would get his friend back. But when he had shown up to freshman orientation and moved his stuff into their dorm room, Sasuke had been as distant as ever. They had gone to orientation together, and even registered together. But Sasuke had just been talking to the girls that swarmed him, smirking at their aggressive advances. Naruto had had his share of admirers as well, if not as many as Sasuke, and he had tried to focus on them instead of his eating jealousy over his friend. And in the end, they might as well have not even gone together. Naruto had ended up registering for mostly writing and literature classes, since they had grabbed his interest, and a biology class to fill his science requirement. Sasuke had signed up for all the business and communications classes he could take as a freshman, resulting in their not having a single class in common this semester.

"Sakura and I broke up just after my birthday. I didn't see anyone the rest of the summer."

_Of course. The one time he actually isn't hooking up with girls, I am out of town._

"So now you're making up for lost time? What the hell, Sasuke. You used to not even let the fangirls talk to you. Now you practically throw them on the conveyor belt to your bed."

Sasuke shrugged, his face expressionless. "It seemed to be bothering you that I wasn't interested in girls. So now I'm interested. I'm just doing what every guy does." He smirked again, "Or I guess what every guy _would_ do if there was sufficient interest in him."

Naruto growled as he got up and started walking over into their bedroom. "Neji's hot, and he isn't whoring himself out like that." Sasuke's eyes narrowed at that. "If you want to do something to make me happy, start taking them to a hotel room, or at least do it in their room on Mondays and Wednesdays instead of here." The room still smelled of sex, so Naruto went over and threw open the window. He noticed that Sasuke had already stripped the sheets and thrown them in the hamper. That guy must do more laundry in a week than most guys do in a month. But Naruto wasn't going to complain. At least Sasuke was hygienic about it. "It seems like every time I have an evening where I don't have class or a study group, where I actually _could_ get to go to sleep early or god forbid talk to my roommate, you're here fucking someone. I thought you wanted to be Mr. Straight A Student through college so you'd get into the business school here. Don't you ever do your homework? Or do you only fuck girls when you know I'll be here."

A funny look passed over Sasuke's face at Naruto's last statement. He looked... embarrassed? More like he looked like he'd just been caught at something, but Naruto didn't know what. He couldn't possibly be embarrassed about Naruto hearing him having sex... Sasuke clearly made no effort to hide that. But Naruto was too tired and annoyed to try to figure it out.

"Whatever. You suck for a roommate. I'm going to sleep," Naruto trudged over to his bed and fell into it. He was exhausted. He had kept up his habit of running over the summer to help him manage his stress. Jiraya had told him to add in some push-ups and sit-ups to help round out his workouts. Whatever you could say about the Perv, and Naruto could say a lot, the man had kept in shape. So every morning, he got up and did a hundred sit-ups, a hundred push-ups, and fifty hand-stand push-ups before his morning run. Neji was generally the only other person up that early, and he clearly thought Naruto was insane. He would watch Naruto working out while he drank his tea and ate his breakfast. Then Naruto would go for a run, and come back and shower. He managed to time it so that Sasuke usually got up and left for class when Naruto was out running, so they hadn't bumped into each other much in the mornings. It was just the nights that Naruto dreaded. There was no avoiding a person you were sleeping in the same room with.

-xXx-

As much as Naruto was hating his roommate situation, he was liking his classes. He had already made two pretty good friends. Sora was a guy in Naruto's creative writing class. They had been paired up in the first class exercise to critique each other's writing, and had hit it off right away. They were both fairly serious about the class, and both wrote pieces that were a bit dark, compared to the fluff that most of the kids in the class put out. Naruto felt like somehow Sora was a kindred spirit, and would often hang out in Sora's room to do his homework, since it was closer to the building that their classes were in. Naruto's room was in a dorm across campus, closer to the business school. Perfect for Sasuke. Crappy for him. As usual.

They had only known each other two weeks, but Naruto already had a small crush on both of his friends. Unfortunately, it didn't look like either was going to develop into anything.

Sora was much more mature than Naruto. He had grown up in a bigger city, and seemed to have had a lot of sub-culture experiences that Naruto found intriguing. He hadn't worked up the nerve to talk to him directly about it, but much of Sora's writing revolved around drugs and sex. It was pretty different from Naruto's relatively straight-laced and late blooming high school years. Naruto also admitted to himself at least that he found the man's shoulder length brown hair and lithe build attractive. But he figured he only had a 10% chance that Sora was gay, so he didn't assume anything was going to come of it. He wasn't going to make _that_ mistake again. He was fine being the guy's friend.

Naruto's other friend was his lab partner in his biology class. It was the one class that had had the potential to be a complete disaster for Naruto, since science had never been his strong suit, but he had totally lucked out with his lab partner. Ino was not only really hot, but she was pre-med and took the class totally seriously. She always did the pre-reading before the lab, and always knew something about what they were supposed to learn from experiment that they were supposed to do. Naruto thanked whatever fluke of nature had made the girl choose him as her lab partner. Aside from being hot and smart, she was also really nice. Naruto had been a little bummed when he found out she had a boyfriend that went to another school, but had bounced back pretty quickly. They had lab on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and generally ended up grabbing dinner together afterwards.

Naruto wasn't surprised when several people in their lab thought they were dating. He was more surprised when, a week later, Ino pulled him aside after lab and asked him if he'd just pretend to go along with it.

"Look, there's this guy in my dorm who has been really hitting on me hard, and not taking the hint. He basically didn't believe me when I told him I had a boyfriend. Our floor is having a big dorm party tonight. Do you think you could just come and pretend to be my boyfriend so this ass will leave me alone?"

Naruto hated guys like that. He knew what it was like to be interested in someone and not have those feelings returned, but that's just the way the cookie crumbled sometimes. You had to accept it: 'no' means no. Ino seemed like a nice girl, and maybe she just hadn't been forceful enough with the guy. Naruto had no problems being forceful if the guy was hassling his friend. He might have kept his nose clean in high school, but Naruto had grown up brawling for most of his life before then. And the Perv had taught him a few tricks as well when it came to fights. Plus he was a lot bigger now, having developed a bit of a work-out obsession over the past year or so to relieve the Sasuke-induced sexual frustration. He could more than handle himself in a fight if it came to that, despite what most of his high school classmates probably thought. So he simply said, "No problem. I'll go set this guy straight."

Ino rolled her eyes, but she was smiling, clearly enjoying the protective posture that the boy was taking for her. "Don't get all macho on me, Naruto. I don't want you to go and pick a fight. If he just sees me with a cute guy who looks like he could hold his own in a fight, he'll leave me alone. We don't have to stay for very long. Just don't get drunk on me."

Naruto couldn't help but grin at her characterization of him. "No worries. I'm not much of a drinker anyway. Let's go... what dorm are you in?"

"Um..." Ino ran her eyes over Naruto's baggy T-shirt and loose jeans he was wearing. "I'll swing by my room and change quickly, then we need to go to your room so you can change and get ready."

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

Ino just rolled her eyes. "Please. I have a reputation to maintain."

So Naruto found himself marched back to his dorm room with a surprisingly forceful Ino. She had changed into a tight, black blouse and skinny jeans, and he found himself wishing it wasn't a pretend date. He was glad to find out that Ino was in the same dorm as Sora, though. He sent him a text and told him about the party. Maybe he could crash at Sora's place if the party went late. But he'd keep his word to Ino and not drink tonight, even if it would be his first college party. Naruto opened the door to his room as Ino was grilling him about his wardrobe. Naruto just rolled his eyes. "Look, what's the big deal about what I wear? I'm not a girl. It doesn't matter. All guy clothes basically look the same anyway."

Ino didn't even know what to say about such a ridiculous comment.

Sasuke came out of their bedroom when he heard their voices, and he looked at Ino slightly hostilely.

"Alright, so you go take a shower and get cleaned up. I am going to go pick out what you're going to wear tonight," she said, completely exasperated by Naruto's lack of interest in his appearance.

"Seriously? Ino, I know how to dress myself," Naruto ignored the derisive snort coming from Sasuke, who was still standing in the kitchen appearing to wait for water to boil.

"You wear sweat pants and loose T-shirts basically every day. You have the fashion sense of moss. Tell me which dresser is yours. No boyfriend of mine is going to take me out dressed like you do."

The amusement that had sparked in Sasuke's eyes at the 'moss' comment disappeared into narrowed eyes at the mention of the word 'boyfriend.'

He scowled at Naruto, who just shrugged and headed into the bathroom after grabbing his orange towel from the back of his chair in his bedroom, calling over his shoulder, "It's the one by the window."

Ino ignored Sasuke's glare and disappeared into the bedroom to rummage through Naruto's dresser. What she found completely exasperated her. Big T-shirt after T-shirt. And the pants drawer was full of jeans and sweatpants, but they were also pretty baggy. She growled, and stalked back out towards the bathroom door. "Naruto! Don't you have any sexy clothes at all? How can I introduce you as my boyfr-"

She cut off as the bathroom door opened, and Naruto stepped out in a billow of scented steam with his fluffy orange towel wrapped around his waist. His hair was wet, and water droplets rolled down his tan neck and along his chiseled chest and sculpted abs. Ino vaguely remembered Naruto telling her he worked out most mornings, but _holy god_ this boy was ripped. He had the lean, narrow hipped physique of a runner, but his arms and back were sinewed with muscles that a runner wouldn't usually have. And his washboard abs were just... _oh my fucking god._ She realized she was staring, and even drooling a little. She closed her mouth and forced herself to turn away, where she was greeted with the sight of Naruto's roommate staring at Naruto with slightly glazed eyes. He noticed her looking at him, and immediately snapped his mouth closed and stalked into their bedroom. "Put some clothes on, Dobe."

"Wow, Naruto. What the hell are you doing covering up a body like that in these loose clothes? That's it. Put on some clothes and we are going shopping. It should be _illegal_ to conceal a body like that the way you do." Once again Naruto found himself being marched by the forceful blonde, this time into his bedroom. Ino stood there tapping her foot, and Naruto just stood there, blushing awkwardly in his towel and shifting his weight from foot to foot.

"Um, Ino? Do you like... expect me to change in front of you?"

Ino started, realizing she was still staring. She blushed and turned around. "Fine. Just hurry up." She walked into the living room and closed the door. Flustered, Naruto just dropped the towel and started hurriedly digging through his drawers to find boxers, jeans and a T-shirt. He yanked them on, then ran out to where Ino was waiting. And totally missed the intense stare that had been latched on his body the entire time by the other occupant of the room.

. . . .

Naruto walked out of the store wearing his new clothes. Ino had just thrown his old ones in the trash can in the changing room and walked him up to the cash register and had them ring up the clothes on his body. It was by far the most embarrassing shopping experience that Naruto had ever had. He was just glad they didn't get accused of shop lifting.

"And this weekend, I am coming over and giving your wardrobe a complete makeover. You are NOT going to be hiding your light under a bushel anymore."

"Ino, I can barely afford tuition. I can't replace my entire wardrobe because you want a better view of my ass."

Ino blushed, but laughed anyway. "But it's such a _fine_ ass. You are lucky I have a boyfriend or I'd seriously be trying to take drunken advantage of you tonight."

Naruto almost growled. It was totally not fair she was teasing him like this. He silently sent a wish that her faceless boyfriend would get mysteriously sucked into another dimension.

"But seriously, we'll just go to a thrift shop. We can do a major upgrade for less than fifty bucks. Now, put your sexy smile on and pretend to love me."

Naruto sighed. This sucked.

. . . . . . .

They had been at the party for an hour, and Naruto was already bored. He wasn't drinking, because he had told Ino he wouldn't. She was, however, and that was turning out to be a huge problem. She had been enjoying all the jealous looks they got from both guys and girls. Naruto wasn't sure who the jerk was that had been giving Ino the problem, but if he was there he hadn't come up to her yet. He was starting to wonder if Ino was playing him, and just wanted to tease him. She would lean against him, and put her arm around his shoulders. Sure, they were supposed to be pretending to be dating, but... did she have to pretend they were a couple into PDA?

Luckily Sora showed up. He came over to Naruto, looking surprised to see him there with Ino. The dorm was big, so Ino and Sora hadn't met. She was on the third floor, he was on the twelfth. "Sora! Man, I was hoping you'd be able to come."

Sora had a beer in his hand, but was completely sober. "Yeah, I got your text, so I thought I'd drop by."

"Naruto's my boyfriend," Ino slurred, leaning on him and purring in his hear.

Naruto looked apologetically towards Sora, who just raised an eyebrow. "I'm going to go get another beer," she said and staggered off.

"Girlfriend? Really?" Sora asked. Naruto shrugged.

"Not really," he said, keeping his voice low, though with the music turned up so loud, he didn't need to. "She has a boyfriend that goes to another school, but there was some guy hassling her so she asked me to pretend to be her boyfriend at this party so he'd take the hint."

Sora gave an amused look. "Well, she certainly seems to enjoy _pretending_ to be all over you. Nice outfit, by the way. I didn't think you owned any real clothes."

"Geez, what is it with everyone? Who gives a fuck what clothes a guy wears, anyway?"

Sora just laughed. "Well, if you are looking to get laid more often, showing off your assets helps that a lot. Especially in your case."

Naruto froze. Was Sora hitting on him, or insulting him? "What does that mean?"

Sora just shrugged. "Ino clearly seems to think you have nice assets, boyfriend or not. The clothes show them off."

Naruto tried to hide his disappointment. Of course Sora wasn't hitting on him. He sighed. The sound of Ino's voice shouting at someone caught Naruto's attention.

"Get the fuck off me, asshole! I'm here with my b-boyfriend! Let go of me!"

Naruto looked over to see a tall brunette trying to pull Ino onto his lap. She poured her beer over his head, and the guy looked like he was going to kill her.

"Be right back," he said to Sora, his face hardening.

He strode over, ignoring the many pair of eyes that were following him. "I think it's pretty clear that she turned your ugly ass down. Let go of my girlfriend's arm."

The guy smirked, at Naruto. "Or you'll what?"

Naruto smiled, and leaned down so his face was level with the guy's. "Why don't you quit hiding behind my girlfriend and stand up so I can show you."

The guy's smile faltered. He hadn't really expected Naruto to get in his face like that. Everyone was staring. If he backed down now, he'd look like an idiot. So he shoved Ino away, and stood up. He tried to throw a sucker punch at Naruto, but he wasn't quick enough. Naruto easily dodged it and gave him a short, sharp punch to his nose, followed almost immediately with a knee to his crotch.

"Keep your nose and your dick away from people who don't want them there. Don't make me come find you for bothering her again."

Some of Ino's friends had come over when they had seen she was in trouble, and they started to cheer. The music was still playing, and pretty soon the party resumed once everyone realized the show was over. The guy stumbled out still holding his bloody nose.

"Oh, my god Naruto that was so fucking hot!" Ino was hardly able to stand. She had had waaay too much to drink. "You are the best boyfriend ever." She threw her arms around Naruto happily. Could he just be done now? This was torture.

A girl that Naruto remembered being introduced to him as Ino's roommate was standing next to her. She didn't seem as wasted as Ino. "Hey, I think Ino needs to go sleep it off. Can you help me get her to her room?"

"Sure," the girl smiled at him. She was a pretty brunette, wearing a really short skirt and a tank top. Naruto sighed. This was turning into a really long and frustrating night. It must be at least two in the morning. He didn't want to walk back all the way across campus.

"Hey," Sora had followed him over. "I didn't know you were such a tough guy." Sora was smirking at him. There was an expression in his eyes that Naruto wasn't quite sure about, but it made him blush.

"I used to get into fights a lot when I was a kid. I haven't done it for a while, though."

"You fight dirty."

"I fight to win. But he threw the first punch."

Sora nodded. "Basic rule of not going to jail - always let the other guy throw the first punch."

Naruto laughed. "Exactly."

"So, you going to crash with Ino tonight?"

Naruto looked down at the nearly unconscious blonde he was supporting. "No... I don't think that would be a good idea."

"If you want, you can stay over with me. My roommate just got a girlfriend. She has a single room, so he's basically moved in there. I have an extra bed now."

"That would be awesome, actually. I'm pretty tired, and not looking forward to walking across campus. Plus, my roommate is an ass. The less time I spend there the better."

Sora smiled. "Then spend more time over with me. You can tell me about your ass of a roommate. I get bored, and my room is closer to most of your classes anyway."

"Sweet! Let me get Ino to bed. I'll be down in a few."

Naruto hauled Ino down the hall to her room. Her roommate opened the door, and he hoisted the now passed out blonde and carried her over to her bed. He pulled the blanket over her, and turned to leave.

"I know you're not really her boyfriend."

Naruto turned to look at the brunette.

"I've met Ino's real boyfriend. She told me she was just going to have you help her out with that asshole to get him off her back."

Naruto shrugged. There seemed no reason to deny it if Ino had already told her roommate. "Yeah. We're lab partners. But she's my friend, so I didn't mind helping her out."

The girl slid her hand up Naruto's wrist and curled it around his bicep. He could smell the alcohol on her breath and realized she was not likely as sober as she appeared. "You're really hot."

She pressed herself up against him, and immediately began sucking on his neck. "Um.. " Naruto tried to gently detach her, but the girl just tightened her hold.

"Look, you're really pretty, but you're completely wasted. And I don't even know your name."

"Kiara," she said, beginning to rub her hips across Naruto's groin.

"Ok, Kiara. Look, if you are really interested in me, why don't you call me sometime when you're sober and we'll get lunch, ok?" He pulled her away more forcefully. "I have to go meet my friend. You need to go sleep it off."

She pouted, but let him go. He quickly went out and closed the door. He took the elevators to Sora's floor, and walked down to his friend's room. Sora opened the door when Naruto knocked softly.

"Hey, sorry about that. She passed out and I had to get her into bed."

Sora looked at Naruto's neck. "Looks like you did a little more than that."

"What?" Naruto went to the mirror that was over a dresser in the room and saw the hickey Kiara had left. "Shit. Ino's roommate basically attacked me just when I was about to leave."

"And you didn't stay?"

"I'm sober, she's drunk... plus I don't really think she's my type."

"So what is your type?"

"I dunno. Not someone who tries to jump me in front of their passed out roommate, I guess."

Sora laughed. "That's a pretty broad type."

Naruto had that feeling again, that maybe Sora was hitting on him. "Yeah, I guess I'm pretty open."

Sora just looked at him a minute. "Well, that bed is my roommate's... the sheets are clean. We should get to sleep. It's late and I have a meeting tomorrow at 10am with some students from a poetry class I'm in... sort of a writers' circle."

"You have school stuff on a Saturday? That sucks. I'll head back to my place in the morning when you leave. I don't have anything."

"Do you want to come with me?"

"Nah. I don't really like people reading what I write. I only do it in class because they make us."

Sora just nodded, then turned out the light.

. . .

Neji and Sasuke were both eating breakfast when Naruto walked in. Sasuke didn't even look up.

"Looks like someone got lucky last night," Neji said, looking amused.

Naruto laughed. "Don't believe everything you read."

He went and took a shower, having slept in his clothes. He got out, feeling restless. He needed to work out. He had enough sexual frustration after last night to go for about a ten mile run. He changed into some gym clothes and grabbed his iPod, putting on one of his work-out mixes. It helped him shut out his surroundings, particularly his annoying ex-best friend. He walked back into the living area, and started on his reps of fifty push-ups, fifty sit-ups, and twenty hand-stand push-ups, letting the familiar routine distract his body so his mind could kept thinking back to his evening. Both Sora and Ino had been hitting on him, he was pretty sure. True, Ino had been drunk off her ass, but she didn't seem the type to hit on every guy. Her asshole stalker actually hadn't been bad looking. If she wanted to sleep around, he would have been an easy candidate. He tried not to hope she would break up with her boyfriend.

Sora was another matter. He was pretty sure the guy was interested. Naruto had never had a relationship with a guy. And his first attempt at one had blown up in his face. He didn't really know how to do the dance with guys. How do you initiate the topic? He had decided he wasn't going to hide the fact that he was bi from the friends that he made here, with the exception of his roommates, since it would totally suck if they turned out to be as homophobic as Sasuke and treat him like a pariah. It was a big campus... it's not like they'd cross paths with his friends.

He was going to go back to Sora's place sometime this weekend. Naruto figured he would work into the conversation somehow that he had had a thing for Sasuke. Sora had already said he was interested in hearing why Naruto thought his roommate was an ass. If Sora was straight, then hearing about Naruto liking some _other_ guy would be less likely to freak him out. And if Sora wasn't straight... Naruto hummed to himself. Then maybe the semester would become very interesting.

"I guess she didn't satisfy you," Neji said. Naruto jumped. He looked up to see Neji and Sasuke still sitting at the table, their food long finished. Sasuke was still carefully not looking at him. Neji just had one eyebrow raised.

"What?" Naruto pulled out his earbud, pretending he hadn't heard Neji and hoping the guy would take the hint and not repeat it.

"You're doing almost double the reps you usually do. Frustrated?"

"Fuck you, Huuga. I just like to work out. I'm going for a run. You two enjoy your date, staring at the furniture or whatever." Naruto couldn't resist the jab, knowing that Sasuke would get pissed. And sure enough, Naruto saw a flush creep up his friend's neck. Naruto pulled on his shoes and slammed out the door.

Sasuke looked over at Neji, his eyes narrowing. "You know how many reps Naruto does in his workouts? What, you sit here and watch him in the morning?"

Neji shrugged. "You have a problem with that?"

Sasuke glared at the man. "Actually, I do."

Neji just laughed. "Well, I guess that's just _your_ problem, then. I don't know what the history is between you, but he obviously can't stand you anymore."

"You're interested in him?"

Neji looked at him. "You're not?" He went to his room, leaving a fuming Sasuke in their kitchen.

. . . . .

Naruto ended up running almost six miles. It was way farther than he had planned on running, especially since he realized he hadn't eaten breakfast. He was panting and almost lightheaded with hunger. He pulled off his shirt and wiped his face, stretching lightly against the side of the building before going up to his room. He went in and was surprised to see Ino sitting on the couch talking to Neji. They both looked up as he walked in.

"I'm surprised to see you alive so early," Naruto said, wondering if he was offending Neji by his half nudity. They guy always seemed so formal in his appearance. It made Naruto feel like such a slob.

Ino blushed. "Sorry about that. Kiara told me you had to practically carry me to my room last night. I don't drink much... I guess I can't hold my alcohol." Naruto shrugged. He kind of wondered what Ino and Neji had been talking about. But since Neji was pre-law and Ino was pre-med, he figured they probably had at least good grades in common.

"Don't worry about it."

"So where did you end up spending the night? Neji said you didn't come home until this morning," Ino glanced at the hickey on his neck.

"I have another friend in the same dorm. I crashed there." He'd tell Ino about Sora later... he wasn't so sure he wanted to say anything in front of Neji. Especially since everyone would assume that the hickey came from the person he spent the night with.

Ino took the hint that Naruto didn't want to talk more now. "Well, I came to make it up to you by taking you shopping."

Naruto rolled his eyes, pretty sure he'd rather have his fingernails pulled out. "Is there any way I can get out of this?"

"If you don't come willingly, I will burn all the clothes you have now so you won't have a choice."

He heard Neji give a soft laugh.

"You are a fascist. A raging fascist."

"Whatever. Just get your ass in the shower and grab your wallet."

Naruto stalked into his room to grab a change of clothes and his towel. He saw Sasuke working at his desk, but walked past him to his dresser. "You can have Mondays and Wednesdays back. I'll be staying at my friend's room as much as possible."

He pulled out a random shirt and jeans, then turned and walked out to the shower without even looking at Sasuke's face.

 _ **To be continued**_...


	3. Happy birthday to me

-xXx-

Naruto walked into his suite and set his backpack down on the kitchen floor. Chouji was the only one in the living room, and he looked up with surprise to see the blond.

"Hey, long time no see, Naruto! I was beginning to wonder if you moved out. You haven't been here in almost a week. Did you get a girlfriend or something?" Chouji was setting up an Xbox 360, reading the instructions while plugging in a set of colored cables to their TV.

"Nah... I was just hanging out at my friend's dorm... its closer to all my classes. And doesn't have as much night traffic, so I can actually study and sleep."

Chouji laughed. "You should come back. It's been quiet here since you've been gone."

Naruto was about to ask if it was quiet because Chouji thought Naruto was noisy, or if he meant Sasuke no longer banging a chick a night. But just then, Sasuke walked out of the bedroom and headed into the kitchen, barely sparing a glance at Naruto. So Naruto decided to drop the topic and just shrugged.

"I just need to do laundry. But I'll help you set that up if you want. Do you have a Live account?"

"Yeah, my mom got it for me. She wants me to try to distract myself from snacking all the time. I gained almost fifteen pounds so far this semester. You play?"

Naruto looked at the games that had come with it. "Yeah. Used to play a lot. Nothing like the gratuitous violence of first-person shooter games to make you forget about food."

Naruto hadn't played since he and Sasuke had stopped hanging out. He didn't have enough money for the console, and somehow it had seemed... not as fun to play at his other friends' houses. It had always been one of his and Sasuke's 'things'. But that had been a long time ago. Naruto shot a glace over his shoulder towards his roommate. Maybe Sasuke would play, too.

"Hey, Sasuke. Chouji has four controllers... wanna play?"

Sasuke hesitated, then shook his head. "I'm just taking a quick study break."

Naruto turned back to setting up the game so Sasuke wouldn't see the flash of disappointment in his eyes. "Whatever."

Naruto sat down next to Chouji as they selected their characters and weapons. "Have you played before?"

Chouji nodded, "Yeah, with my friends back home. But it's been a while."

Naruto laughed. "No excuses! Let's join a game and kick some ass."

They heard a derisive snort from the kitchen.

"Fuck off, Sasuke. Just because you've shoved that stick up your ass so far you can't even play anymore doesn't mean the rest of us can't still have fun."

Naruto didn't need to look back to feel the death glare directed at him, but he had become immune long ago so he just continued to play. Chouji was a pretty conservative player, especially compared to Sasuke, but Naruto tried to stop comparing and just have fun.

"I'm going to go check out that building. I bet its crawling with bad guys. You coming, Chouji?"

Chouji looked a little hesitant. "Well, you can't see what's inside from here. Maybe we should try something else."

"What's the fun in that? I'm going in. Get in position and cover me!"

"Are you crazy? You're just going to get killed... Naruto what are you -"

"Get 'em, Chouji! Here they come! Shoot the bastards!"

Naruto and Chouji frantically pressed the buttons on the control pads in their attempt to wipe out the enemy group that Naruto's character had charged then somehow led into a narrow alley.

"How did you not die?" Chouji was still staring at the screen as Naruto's character went through the bodies and looked for better weapons and ammo.

"It's a gift," Naruto grinned.

"Pfft," Sasuke snorted from behind the sofa, where he was standing drinking his tea and watching them play.

"Why didn't you cover me, man? We could have taken them all out. More than half of them got away. Now we have to find them again."

"I didn't know you were going to be completely insane and just charge into the bunker. Who does that?" Chouji's stomach growled. "Man, I need a snack. Hey, Sasuke, can you take over for me for a few minutes?"

Sasuke stiffened, clearly wanting to say no, but then took the controller from Chouji's hand. "Hn." He walked and sat at the far edge of the couch, as far away from Naruto as possible.

It turned out that Chouji's idea of a snack was cooking a full meal, but Sasuke and Naruto had completely immersed themselves in the game, sliding back into the old familiarity of their past friendship, and didn't notice the time passing.

"Sasuke, you bitch, I was going to take that rifle!"

"Too slow, Usuratonkachi."

"Whatever. Just don't miss with it. Snipers at 3 o'clock."

"Hn."

"Shit, there's a nest of them. Here I go!"

Chouji watched in fascinated amazement as his two roommates, who seemed to never actually talk to each other, engaged in almost telepathic teamwork during the game, with Naruto charging in and flushing out the enemy, and Sasuke methodically taking them out as they chased after Naruto's character.

"You two are amazing. Naruto, you're a complete lunatic, and Sasuke, you're a complete sadist. But as a team you guys rock," Chouji said between mouthfuls of food.

Naruto cackled, and Sasuke's lips quirked.

"I'm sliding in!" Naruto yelled, his character running full speed then rolling under a low fence and into another patch of enemy. Fully immersed in the game, Naruto lay down as his character did, holding his controller like his weapon, and his head ended up in Sasuke's lap.

"Shit, here they come! Get your ass over here and help me, bastard! Faster, Sasuke! I'm not going to be able to hold out much more. Faster, faster! Sasuke! _Shit_!"

Naruto felt the muscles in Sasuke's thighs tense beneath his cheek, and realized suddenly the way the words he was shouting sounded... a little similar to what he heard coming through the door of their bedroom sometimes. He started to think about the proximity of his face to Sasuke's... 'lap', and felt a coil of heat in his stomach that was _not_ embarrassment, but would lead to it quite quickly if he didn't get his face out of its current location. He realized he could smell the familiar scent of Sasuke... his body wash and the subtle scent that was just Sasuke.

Naruto sat up abruptly. "Ummm..."

His phone chose that minute to save his soul and go off. "Hey, Chouji - quit stuffing your face and take over for me. I have to take this."

He threw the controller at his suitemate and launched himself off the couch to his room. He noticed the uncomfortable flush on Sasuke's face as he left. _Shit_. _He totally knows what I was thinking. Fuck, fuck, fuck. We finally were having a normal kind of interaction and I had to blow it by almost getting a fucking hard-on._

Naruto finished his laundry without further interaction with his roommates, then headed back over to Sora's. They had a writing assignment to work on. Plus it didn't help that Sasuke had retreated back to icy silence after what had happened, clearly uncomfortable with the physical contact that Naruto had accidentally initiated. Naruto finally had to admit it to himself. Sasuke knew that Naruto was attracted to him, and it made Sasuke uncomfortable. It was the reason why he had pulled back from their friendship.

Naruto had been sort of hoping that Sasuke had just been mad about the kiss and suddenly, belatedly hit puberty when it came to girls. But the reaction on the couch had been really clear. Sasuke had been uncomfortable and embarrassed, and then had avoided him. The chance of them being able to be friends again looked slim, unless Naruto could somehow just get over his attraction to Sasuke. _Maybe I just need to get him out of my system somehow._ He decided that now was as good a time as any to test the waters with Sora, and see which way he swung.

. . . . .

"It totally sucks," Naruto was telling Sora. "We used to be best friends. For like six years. I was always over at his house, or he was at mine. We knew everything about each other. And I started getting interested in girls, but he didn't seem to be, so I thought maybe he just... didn't like girls. So I kissed him, just... so he could see what it was like to kiss a guy-"

"Wait, wait. You thought that your roommate, this Sasuke guy that is getting laid by any hot girl that comes within fifty meters of him, was GAY?"

"Look, it didn't used to be like that. I mean, the girls were always after him. He's... really good looking and rich and all that. But he never used to be interested at all. So I thought that I'd, you know, let him experiment. Because we were best friends, and who cares about whether someone likes girls or guys. If you're friends, it shouldn't matter, right?"

Naruto watched Sora's reaction to the question carefully. The guy just nodded, seemingly in complete agreement. There was no disgust or judgment in his expression. Naruto relaxed fractionally. "So I kissed him. But... it wasn't like I thought it would be. I really..."

"You liked it."

"I liked it a lot. And the worst part is, I guess he noticed. And ever since then, he has been really uncomfortable being alone with me, and we just... stopped hanging out."

"And he started getting with girls."

"Pretty much. I guess it had opposite effects on us. It made me realize I liked guys, and it made him realize he liked girls."

Sora looked at Naruto, thoughtfully. "So, are you gay, or you still like girls, too?"

"I still like girls. I guess... I like both."

Sora smiled slowly. "That's very interesting."

-xXx-

He couldn't decide if he was lucky or unlucky. All of his midterms had fallen on the first two days of exam week. So the past five days had been absolute hell. He had never been so stressed and exhausted in his life. And right now, he was seriously pissed off. It was the night before his first midterm, which was scheduled for seven in the fucking morning. Sora's roommate had moved back into their room for midterms, since both he and his girlfriend had to get studying done, so that meant Naruto had to move back to his.

Naruto had _told_ Sasuke, had _explained_ that of all nights, he needed to be able to get some decent sleep tonight. He had said that if Sasuke absolutely had to hook up tonight, he needed to do it somewhere else. But there they were, with the door locked.

" _Ooooohhhh, Sasuke.."_ bang, bang, bang... Naruto could hear that damn headboard hitting the wall AGAIN. " _Baby, yes, yes... faster, Sasuke mmmmmm..."_

Naruto was beyond pissed. And he didn't care if he embarrassed the hell out of Sasuke or the girl he was with. He stalked up to the door and banged on it. "Sasuke... Sasuke you bastard, do you hear me? Sasuke!"

Naruto heard a low groan. He realized with a bit of a start that it was actually the first time he had heard Sasuke making any of the noises during all the 'episodes' he'd been forced to listen to. "Oi, Sasuke! Sasuke hurry up and finish and let me get to sleep. Sasuke! I told you I needed to get to sleep tonight, you fucking prick."

Naruto heard a muffled female voice, then Sasuke's voice groaning, "Ungh, _Naruto_!" He heard another groan from Sasuke, then, "Naruto... we'll be... out in a minute."

Naruto felt his face blush. The first time Sasuke had shouted his name, it had sounded like Sasuke was... cumming. Naruto decided he'd take his shower while they were 'finishing up'. He really didn't want to know.

. . .

Monday and Tuesday passed in a haze of stress, but then he was DONE. He slept through the entire Wednesday while his roommates were frantically studying for their remaining tests, and was fully recovered and completely free by Thursday. Which was his birthday.

October 10th. Every year, since they had met, he and Sasuke had celebrated their birthdays together. Both having no parents to celebrate it with, it had been a big deal. Even more for Naruto, who didn't have a brother like Sasuke did. Sasuke was his family. Had been.

But for Sasuke's birthday this past June, the ritual had been broken.

_Naruto had shown up the morning of Sasuke's birthday to spend the day with his friend and Itachi, despite all the awkwardness. I mean, they were still family, right? You don't bail on your best friend's birthday, even if you are not getting along perfectly. But thirty minutes later, Sakura had shown up as well. And all Sasuke's attention had been on her. Naruto stayed for an hour, then left. It was clear he wasn't needed anymore. Sasuke had formed new attachments now, and rather than just adding to his existing bonds, Sasuke had evidently chosen to break the old ones and replace them. Itachi caught up with Naruto in the driveway._

_"Naruto - don't leave. He really wants you here. He was worried you weren't going to come."_

_Naruto laughed, and he could hear the bitterness in his own voice. "Yeah, I can tell how glad he is to fucking see me. This is stupid. He doesn't have time for me anymore. I don't even know why I came."_

_"Naruto -"_

_Just then a city bus pulled up at the stop in front of the Uchiha mansion. Naruto took off towards it at a run. "Sorry, Itachi. This is my bus." He knew is voice sounded upset up, but he couldn't control it. At least he had his face turned away. He was too old to be hurt because he 'didn't get enough attention'. He was such an idiot for coming._

_He hadn't even looked to see where the bus was going, and spent the next two hours just riding around the city._

_An hour or so later, Sasuke texted him and asked where he was, but Naruto had just ignored it. He knew Sasuke didn't really care. He probably had his tongue down Sakura's throat by then, anyway._

_Itachi texted him later in the day and told him to come back at least for dinner. Naruto had always loved to sing happy birthday in as loud and annoying a way possible to his friend when it was time for the cake that Sasuke never ate, but Itachi always baked for him. But what was the point? What was the point of trying so hard to be Sasuke's friend when he didn't even register Naruto's existence anymore. Plus Sakura would be there. And while Naruto had no problem making a fool of himself in front of Itachi and Sasuke, he was not going to sing like an idiot in front of Sakura. So he texted back saying he was sorry, but wouldn't make it, and he hoped Sasuke had a great time with Sakura._

Naruto sighed, the memory still stinging. Before he had met Sasuke, Naruto had hated his birthdays. The foster homes he had been in had sucked, and most of the time no one remembered. And even when they did remember, it still felt so half-hearted that Naruto would rather have just pretended he didn't have a birthday. Sasuke had made it special. When he celebrated his birthdays with Sasuke, he had felt as though someone really WAS happy that he had been born. That he really did matter, and belong to someone. He was dreading today. He didn't do depression. He knew that Sasuke and he weren't going to do anything together for his birthday. Sasuke had left for a midterm before Naruto had even woken up. They hadn't spoken a single word about Naruto's birthday in the days prior. He supposed Sasuke either didn't remember with all the pressures of midterms, or Sasuke figured that their friendship was too far gone to care anymore. It hurt, but it wasn't surprising. It would be the first birthday in six years that he didn't celebrate it with his best friend. He told himself it didn't matter. Just another little nail in the coffin of their friendship.

Sora had found out that it was Naruto's birthday, and he had invited Naruto out to a party he said he knew the organizer for who would get them in despite being still underage. Things had been going slowly between them, and Naruto knew it was actually his own fault. He liked Sora, and thought Sora was attractive, but... he wasn't Sasuke. Sasuke and Naruto had so much shared history that, even with all the time he spent with Sora, the relationship just felt superficial. But even aside from that, to Naruto, Sora just wasn't as interesting. Sasuke had so many complicated quirks and layers. Getting to know him was a challenge. Sora was interesting, too, but just... not as much. So they had kissed a little, but mostly just hung out. Naruto kept hoping that when he got to know Sora better, he'd be more attracted to him.

But it was fine for now, and it meant he wouldn't spend his birthday alone. The party was going to be in a warehouse just off campus. Naruto had never been to a college party yet... he had been trying to get used to the increased workload of college, keeping his grades up enough to keep the partial scholarship he had, and spent most of his down time working out or hanging with his friends in their rooms. He hadn't really taken on the whole party scene. But this seemed like a good opportunity. After all, everyone said that college was the place to do all your experimenting. Naruto had never been drunk before. So he figured, what the hell? He didn't have to worry about being placed in foster care now that he was over eighteen if the party got raided. And it's not like the Perv would be 'so disappointed with him' if he received a report from school that he was drunk and disorderly at a party. Naruto snickered at the high five he was likely to get instead.

He had gone over to Sora's house before Sasuke got back from his midterm. Sora had told Naruto to leave his phone and wallet behind, so they wouldn't get lost or stolen at the party. Naruto was wearing a black tank top and a pair of skinny jeans that Ino had talked him into, which had passed Sora's fashion test. Naruto wondered how it was that all his friends seemed to have strong opinions on what he wore. But he didn't care. He was going to go and have a good time tonight. They had gone out to dinner with some of Sora's friends, and hung out until it was time to go to the party. Sora had told him his plan was to get Naruto wasted and laid for his birthday, and Naruto had just shrugged. Maybe he'd hook up, though he dreaded the thought of bringing someone back to his room. Unlike Sasuke, Naruto wasn't comfortable having sex with other people around.

They got to the warehouse and could already hear the music pumping out from the darkened windows. When he opened the door, the beat of the music was so loud it literally knocked Naruto back a step. He followed Sora inside, and felt like he had stepped inside another world. He had never seen anything like this. The room was dark, with the only light being strobe lights that flashed out freeze framed images of sweaty, scantily clad bodies writhing together _en masse_ on the dance floor. Most of the people looked to be in their twenties, making Naruto and Sora likely the youngest in the room. Of course, they were under aged so that shouldn't surprise Naruto, but he had the feeling this wasn't exactly just a college party like Sora had described it. The music itself was a pulsating force, even without lyrics it evoked images of pounding sex. Naruto heard a laugh, and turned to see Sora watching him, a highly amused expression on his face.

"What, they didn't party like this where you grew up?" He shouted to Naruto over the music.

Naruto just shook his head mutely. Somehow he was quite sure that even Kiba's parties had been tame compared to this. This was a big city party, and Konoha had been just a medium sized town. A girl came up to Naruto. She had what appeared to be glowsticks encircling her breasts, with a pasty over each nipple. Her body was shiny with sweat, and her eyes glazed and unfocused. She rubbed herself against Naruto, sliding her hands up his arms.

"You're hot. Dance with me," she said, pulling him into the crowd. Naruto threw a panicked glance at Sora, but the boy was just laughing again.

"I'll get us some drinks," he shouted to Naruto, then he disappeared.

Naruto just stood there for a moment on the dance floor. He really felt uncomfortable dancing... he didn't know what to do and didn't want to look like an idiot. Plus the girl in front of him, while really hot, was a little... too much. I mean, she was practically naked and rubbing herself on some stranger. What kind of girl did that? Naruto felt very out of place. But the darkness helped. The pitch black was alleviated only by the flash of the strobe, and there must be some kind of fog machine set up somewhere that was adding to the low visibility. No one seemed to notice that he was just standing like an idiot, slightly shifting his feet in time with the music. Even 'Naked Girl' (as he was coming to think of her) didn't seem to mind as she basically just used him as a stripper pole.

"Are you a virgin?" the older girl asked him. Past the point of being shocked, Naruto shook his head, and she smiled. "Then move your hips like you're having sex with me to the beat of the music." She grabbed Naruto's hips and they started grinding together, their bodies locked tightly. The music was so loud that it sent vibrations through his body, adding to the sexual feel of the dancing he was engaged in.

"Slide your hands over my body," the older girl said, now grabbing Naruto's wrists and moving his hands up and down her body in time with the music as she continued his crash course in drunken dancing. Naruto could feel the sweat from the girl's skin slip along his hands, and smelled the heavy scent of alcohol from her breath. He decided he was way too sober for this, just as Sora appeared in front of him. He handed Naruto a large plastic cup filled up with what looked in the poor lighting to be beer. Naruto took a large swallow and almost choked. Nope. Not beer. Naked Girl moved on to a partner who was more interested, and less sober. Naruto breathed a small sigh of relief.

" _Fuck_ , Sora. What is this?" It felt like it was ripping out his throat.

"Tequila. About 5 or 6 shots. Drink up... it will help. You're going to get destroyed tonight."

Naruto and Sora danced a bit while Naruto drank. They weren't touching... Sora seemed to have taken the message earlier that Naruto was a little interested, but not ready for too much yet. Another girl moved in. She was pretty, with light brown hair pulled into a knot at the top of her head and wisps of hair hanging down. He couldn't tell her eye color in the dim lighting. She had on a white tank top with a black bra clearly visible underneath, and a short jeans skirt. She turned around and began twirking against Naruto's groin, and Naruto noticed the top part of a black thong clearly visible over the hem of her low rise skirt. The room was spinning slightly, and Naruto felt less uncomfortable with this girl. At least she was wearing clothes. The alcohol was also helping. Sora had moved on to dance with a black-haired girl and a brown-haired guy a little bit away, and soon Naruto lost sight of his friend altogether. 'Thong Girl' had turned back to face Naruto and they were now latched together, hips fused. The alcohol now pumping through his system seemed to greatly improve his dancing skills, and he found himself sinking into the music and the press of bodies around him.

He had never been drunk before. Why the hell had he waited? He didn't have to be such a good boy anymore. No one was watching here. He was away from his conservative little town, and out from under the thumb of social services. It was liberating. He breathed out a laugh. His body felt light, his brain fuzzy. He was in a pulsating mass of bodies, moving rhythmically to the heady beat of the music. Girls, boys, all grinding together. He'd had several people rub up against him, grabbing his ass... groping his crotch. He didn't care. It felt... exhilarating. He felt attractive, and free to act on that. He wasn't in a relationship with anyone. He only sexual experience had been a one night stand. Periodically, Sora would show up with another drink. His brain was too sloshed to focus on any memories of why his birthdays sucked or worry about what grades he pulled on his midterms. His body was starting to feel hot, and he felt energy pumping into him like he had just drunk a gallon of coffee. The room was tilting wildly, and the flickering of the lights somehow seemed fascinating. The faces of the people around him started to blur and blend, and the hands that were touching him seemed more fevered. He stumbled a little when the girl he was dancing with started to pull him towards the back of the room. He was vaguely aware that there were several people around him having sex. It didn't bother him. He felt her hand slide along his cock and let his head fall back. The room was spinning and tilting and somehow his jeans were unzipped and they were leaning against the wall, her legs wrapped around him.

The rest of the night faded into a blur, but he had a vague memory of Sora kneeling in front of him, his head bobbing as Naruto tried to keep the room from upending him on the floor, and his orgasm hitting him hard.

The next thing he knew he was fumbling with the key to his dorm room, not exactly sure how he got back to his dorm. Why didn't the thing seem to fit in the lock? He foggily wondered if his roommates had changed the locks for some reason. Finally the key went in. Naruto unlocked the door and staggered into the hallway, surprised to see the lights still on in the shared living area. He had thought everyone would be asleep and he'd need to be quiet. He looked in and saw Neji and Sasuke sitting in two of the chairs. Actually, he saw two Sasukes and two Nejis. He found that hilarious and started to snicker. Whatever they had been talking about, their conversation ended abruptly at Naruto's entrance. They took in his appearance... his tank top was inside out and backwards, and the fly of his jeans was half unbuttoned.

"Heeeeeyyy," Naruto stumbled into the room, his voice loud and slightly slurred. "What're you guys still doin' up? It's like..." Naruto looked at his empty wrist, as if expecting a watch to magically appear there. He frowned slightly when one didn't do so. "It's gotta be like four in the fuckin' morning."

Sasuke looked frozen. Neji looked at Naruto with amusement, raising one eyebrow. "Did you have a good time, then, Naruto?"

Naruto burst out laughing, and almost fell over with the force of it. "It was fuckin' AWESOME. I've never been drunk before but I feel amazing. If the room wasn't spinning, I could run a fuckin' marathon. My skin is on fire, though. And I'm dying of thirst. He staggered into the kitchen area, and stuck his head under the sink to drink, missing twice. "I had... sex with at least two people tonight. I think. It was... so crazy. But I feel kind of gross now... really un-.. un-... un _hygienic,"_ he finally managed to get the word out. "Sasuke, man. I don't know how you do it."

Neji walked over to Naruto and grabbed his chin, looking into his eyes. "The fuck, Neji," Naruto jerked his head away.

"How much did you take?" Neji asked.

"How much did I drink?" Naruto squinted, trying to remember. "I dunno... maybe..."

"No. How much X did you take. How many pills."

"What? I didn't do drugs. I just went to a party with my friend..." Naruto burst out laughing again, "Who it turned out totally just wanted to get into my pants, can you believe that? Gave me the best blowjob of my life for my birthday, and I'm not totally sure if we..."

"Idiot," Sasuke stood up and walked over, finally realizing what Neji was talking about. "Your pupils are the size of quarters, and your skin is burning hot. Someone slipped some Ecstasy in your drink. Why the hell did you go out partying with some girl you don't even know for your birthday anyway? I thought you'd come back to the room and we could have dinner or something. Didn't you get any of my texts?"

Naruto fumbled in his pocket for his phone, then remembered he didn't have it on him.

In his inebriated state, Naruto didn't have much of a filter on his actions. He grabbed Sasuke by the back of the neck and rubbed his cheek against his friend's pale one. "Sorry, Sas. I didn't know you still cared." Naruto started laughing as he stumbled forward, and used the opportunity to slide his hand along Sasuke's ass. Sasuke tensed and jerked back, pulling Naruto upright, but at arms length.

Naruto sighed at the rejection, but even through the alcohol haze knew he should drop it. He pushed himself unsteadily away from Sasuke and walked towards the bathroom, which kept changing location on him. "Seriously, though, I just wanted to have fun on my birthday. I mean, I know you think your god's gift to women and all, Sasuke, but listening to you fuck all night long is not really my idea of a good time. So I went out with my friends. That's what people do on their birthdays, right Nej?"

Neji decided to be generous and ignore the annoying nickname Naruto had just used. "I guess," he said. Being completely sober, he didn't miss the anguished expression in Sasuke's eyes at Naruto's words. He wondered what the history was between these two. He knew they had come from the same high school, and sometimes seemed like they were friends. Sometimes seemed like they couldn't stand each other, and sometimes... it had looked like Naruto had grabbed Sasuke's ass, but since the drunken blond had been stumbling, it was a little hard to tell if it had been intentional.

He had been surprised at how upset Sasuke had been as the evening wore on and there was no sign of Naruto. He had stayed up to keep the younger man company, and to see how it would play out when Naruto returned. But watching the two together, he was no closer to understanding the situation.

Naruto managed to not fall over in the shower, then simply staggered to his bed passed out, still wearing just his towel. Sasuke and Neji looked down at him, glad at least he hadn't puked all over anything. It seemed that he could hold his liquor at least a bit.

"When he wakes up, make sure he drinks something. He's probably severely dehydrated. It looks like whoever took him to the party just wanted to get him strung out, but they didn't take care to keep him hydrated. X is dangerous that way... you can actually die of heat stroke or end up hospitalized from dehydration if you're not careful. And the downs are rough. He's going to be a wreck tomorrow," Neji said, then left the room, closing the door behind him.

Sasuke looked down at Naruto and sighed. He sat on the edge of Naruto's bed, disturbed more than he wanted to admit by the memory of the dilated and unfocused eyes of his friend. He slowly ran his fingers through the blond hair like he used to when Naruto would fall asleep on his bed when they were watching a movie. Back before everything had fallen apart. "Usuratonkachi. What did you do to yourself?"

-xXx-

_**to be continued** _

so... did you catch what Sasuke was up to with his ladies? yup. :-) We'll hear more from him in a bit.


	4. Two friends down

-xXx-

Naruto slowly opened his eyes, then hissed and immediately squeezed them closed when the light seared into them. _Fuuuuuuck, my head hurts._ His mouth felt dry and tasted like something had crawled in and died. He slowly took stock of himself. From the brief moment he had allowed his eyes to open, he recognized his own room. That was good.

He then realized he was naked. That was potentially not good. He slid his hands along either side of him... nope, no one was in the bed with him.

He struggled to piece together what had happened. He remembered going to the party with Sora and some of Sora's friends. He remembered being a little freaked out, then starting to drink and relaxing a bit. He was dancing with a pretty girl, and then... his memories started to get fragmented and distorted. The girl with a thong... Sora on his knees... Sora against the wall... Sasuke's neck...

At that memory, his entire body clenched in a weird combination of intense lust and extreme panic.

_Oh, fuck. Please tell me I didn't come home and try to jump my straight and potentially homophobic best friend in a drunken haze._

He searched his memory frantically, trying to force the images to come together. He definitely remembered his face in Sasuke's neck, inhaling the man's scent. But after that... he thought he sort of remembered holding Sasuke... _Oh, god._

Naruto groaned slightly, more in mental anguish rather than actual pain. This could potentially be so bad. Sasuke could be on the phone right now filing a sexual assault complaint, or worse, calling Itachi, who would promptly arrive and castrate Naruto with a very dull spoon, and then...

"Dobe - you alive?"

Naruto pressed pause on his mental panic attack. Sasuke didn't sound homicidal. Maybe... maybe nothing happened? Maybe this was all some kind of hallucination? A mental image of his hand grabbing Sasuke's ass flashed across his poor, stupefied brain and Naruto groaned again. Why couldn't he remember anything?

"I'm still taking stock," Naruto answered, his voice sounding raspy and dry. "What the fuck happened last night?"

"You decided to go to a rave and get yourself plastered and high for your birthday."

Naruto heard the bite to Sasuke's voice, and wondered if he was pissed because he had gone out for his birthday, or pissed because Naruto had potentially come home and groped him.

"High? I didn't take anything... I was just drinking." At least, he didn't remember taking anything.

"That's what you thought. But apparently the person who took you to the rave slipped some X into your drink. Neji recognized the signs when you came back last night. You need to drink water and watch yourself today. Evidently the downs from X bite."

Neji? Naruto searched his brain again... and came up with a vague image of pale eyes examining his own. If Neji were there, then Naruto wouldn't have jumped Sasuke. Right? Maybe this was all ok.

"Did I come back alone?"

"Hn."

_Fucking Hn... is that a yes or a no?_

"English, bastard. I'm too brain-dead to translate your 'Hn's' today."

"You're always brain-dead. But yes, you were alone. Evidently you did all your fucking right at the party."

Sasuke sounded pissed.  Naruto would have rolled his eyes at the hypocrisy of that if he thought his head could survive the motion.

"Ummm... ok, but then... why am I... naked?"

He heard Sasuke's sigh. "Because you came home and said you felt _unhygienic_ after fucking two people, one of them the _friend_ that took you to the rave, and the other one someone that you probably didn't even know."

Naruto ignored the irony of Sasuke getting a lecturing tone about having casual sex. The guy was practically an orgasm vending machine. Besides, Naruto had more serious concerns.

_Does... Sasuke know about Sora? Great. Now he will totally freak out even more that not only am I hot for him, but am now actually having sex with guys._

"Is that what I said last night?"

"Yeah. I don't know who this chick is, but she spiked your drink with X, which is why you were so hyped up and can't remember anything. Ino is going to kill you when she finds out you cheated."

Naruto's brain struggled to keep up. There were several things in Sasuke's last statement that made no sense to him. "Chick?"

"You didn't mention her name."

Ok, that was good. Sasuke thought the 'friend' was a girl. So maybe something of this was salvageable. Naruto continued to muddle through the other parts of Sasuke's statement that had confused him.

"Why would Ino be mad if I had sex?"

"Let's see, because she's your girlfriend? And generally girlfriends don't like it when their boyfriends have sex with other people."

"Ino's not my girlfriend."

"You broke up?" Sasuke sounded acutely interested in that.

"We were never going out. She just had me pretend to be her boyfriend to get rid of some guy who was harassing her. She's dating a guy who goes to another school."

"Why the hell didn't you tell me that?"

Sasuke's voice sounded strange. Naruto could sense some concern and also... anger? Naruto forced his eyes open despite the pain.

"Look, it's not like you and I do much talking anymore. Besides, I never said we were dating in the first place. Why did you even think that?"

Sasuke looked annoyed, but didn't say anything. Naruto wanted to probe more on that, but first he needed to find out as much as he could about last night.

"Did I say... anything else last night?" Naruto wanted to just be very clear what he did and didn't say about what had happened. "I just don't remember that much."

Sasuke grumbled something under his breath about needing to have better judgment about friends, but Naruto couldn't hear all of it. "No, just that it was a friend who surprised you by wanting to get in your pants. And evidently she gave you a blow job for your birthday present. Happy birthday, by the way."

"What, no blow job?" The joke was out of his mouth before he could even help it. There was dead silence from Sasuke's bed. _God, could I be any more of an idiot?_ "Sorry, sorry. I'm still not fully functional. Just joking."

There was a bit of a pause, then, "Hn."

Naruto looked over at his friend. Sasuke was lounging on his bed, a slight flush on his cheeks. God, Sasuke always looked so fucking hot. How was this supposed to be fair? No one should really be allowed to look like that. Naruto realized he was still naked. His sheet covered at least the lower part of his body, but his torso and one leg was exposed. "Hey, um, Sasuke," Naruto fumbled, trying to figure out the right words, pulling the sheet to cover him more fully. "I didn't... last night... we didn't..."

"What the fuck, Naruto? Of course not. Like I'd do something like that. What the hell is wrong with you?" Sasuke stood fluidly then stalked out of the room.

Naruto sighed, scrubbing his fingers through his hair trying to get blood flow back into his scull, then rubbed his face with the flats of his hands to relieve the dull ache behind his eyes. He was never _ever_ doing X again. Thinking back, he had a pretty good idea when the X got into his system. The first part of the night he had just been drunk. Things were a little blurry, but he still remembered what had happened. But after the last drink that Sora had given him, everything seemed to be just scattered, disjointed images in his head. Including, apparently, his first time having sex with a guy. He was going to fucking _kill_ Sora. He groaned slightly. The maiming was going to have to wait until after he felt human again.

He was just about to get up to get some water when he felt the bed dip and looked up to see Sasuke sitting on the edge of the bed holding a glass of water.

"Drink."

Naruto sat up and his stomach clenched. He leaned against the wall and waited for the sensation to pass, then took the glass of water that Sasuke had offered and slowly drank.

"Thanks."

"Hn."

Naruto was acutely aware of his undressed state, and tried to focus on anything other than having Sasuke _on his bed_ while he was naked.

"As soon as I get my strength back, I have to go kill someone."

Sasuke blew out a short laugh. "Next time be more careful who you go out with, Dobe."

"I guess. And... sorry... about saying stupid stuff. I just... I thought I remembered something. From last night."

Sasuke looked uncomfortable again. "When you first came in, you tripped and almost fell on me, and I caught you. After that, you just took a shower then passed out in bed."

"Oh, ok."

"I... waited up for you. I thought we'd hang out. Like we used to."

Naruto felt hope surge up in his chest. Even if Sasuke didn't like him in _that_ way, he would be happy to just have his friend back at this point. It might be pathetic and painful, but he had missed their friendship more than he had thought possible.

"Sorry. I didn't think you even remembered my birthday. I mean, you never talk to me anymore. You haven't talked to me since..." Naruto's voice trailed off. This was not a good time to bring up the kiss. They had never talked about it, and his brain was basically mush right now. But there was no avoiding it. Sasuke was here, being his friend. They had to address it, and hopefully they could get past it. This was the first chance they had really had. He wasn't going to miss it.

"Sasuke, I'm really sorry that I kissed you that time. You had said you didn't want to, but I didn't listen. I never should have pushed it," Naruto paused, then took a breath, forcing the words out. "I really miss you. I miss being friends."

Sasuke stilled. He had been worried that Naruto had just been high last night. But today he was sober, and saying the same thing.

"I miss you, too," he said quietly.

"So can't we... can't we just forget that the kiss ever happened? I didn't mean to make this happen. It's just, when I kissed you, I suddenly felt..." Naruto paused, not wanting to sound like he was making a confession at the same time he was trying to convince Sasuke he was happy to be 'just friends'. He noticed an embarrassed flush creeping up Sasuke's cheeks, and quickly tried to push through his words to get this awkward conversation over with. "Anyway, I felt something I didn't expect, and because of that... Look, I know that you... feel differently about me now. But I will try to forget what I realized that day. I will try to just forget all of it. Can you just forget about it too, and just... just go back to being normal with me? Best friends, like we used to be?"

Naruto was surprised when Sasuke's face flashed hurt, then slowly hardened with anger.

"So that's what you think, huh? I'm not 'normal' anymore?"

"Well... no, I mean... Sasuke you're joking right? I mean, ever since what happened with the kiss you -"

"Fuck you, Naruto." Sasuke stood up, fury clear in every line of his body.

"What the hell, Sasuke? Why are you so pissed off?"

"This isn't something that I can just change back to 'normal' on, ok? It doesn't work that way. How ignorant are you? All your big talk about being friends no matter what was just total crap. You have made that _crystal_ fucking clear."

Sasuke walked over to his dresser and grabbed his keys, wallet and phone, then turned and strode towards the door.

"You are such an asshole, you know that?" Sasuke's voice was low and filled with hurt and venom.

Naruto flinched as the door to their bedroom slammed shut, followed a few minutes later by the door to the suite slamming as well. Naruto just sat there for several minutes, staring at the closed door.

_What the hell had just happened?_

. . . . .

Sasuke stood outside the door to their suite, hardly able to breathe. Of all the things that he had thought Naruto would ever say to him, this was worse than anything he had imagined. _I'm not fucking normal? He wants me to just change back?_ He couldn't believe it. The one person who had always been able to understand him, always accepted him with his flaws, not just overlooking them but actually accepting them. For him of all people to say something like this... Sasuke just stood there in the hallway, panting like he had been running.

No. Naruto wasn't the only person who understood him. There was one other. Sasuke flipped open his phone and dialed. "Nii-san. Can I stay with you this weekend?"

Itachi's concerned voice came through the earpiece, and Sasuke immediately felt slightly more in control. He didn't have any more exams, but he didn't want to go back into his room either. The last thing he wanted was to see Naruto. He decided he'd just buy whatever clothes and toiletries he needed when he got to Itachi's house. He had his car keys, phone and wallet with him. That's all he needed. He had to get the fuck out of here.

-xXx-

Naruto lay in bed for over an hour, reeling from his conversation with Sasuke. He had never seen his friend that coldly furious with him before. Why? What had happened? Did Sasuke think he was trying to... trick him? Naruto couldn't understand it at all. He waited, hoping Sasuke would come back. When he didn't, Naruto decided he needed to call him. Unfortunately, his phone was still at Sora's.

Well, he needed to go talk to Sora anyway. Groaning, Naruto dragged himself out of bed and got dressed. He felt like shit. The headache was pretty much gone... he suspected that had been from the alcohol, and was glad that he apparently didn't get as bad a hangover as his friends seemed to. He had had _waaaay_ too much to drink last night. But now he just felt... low. Emotionally, he was used to being generally cheerful and optimistic. But he felt tired and depressed and just... like crap. Maybe this was from the X, or maybe from having Sasuke being bi-polar with him. Either way, it sucked.

He suddenly panicked, as he realized that he had had sex with two people last night, and the potential health implications of that. He grabbed the jeans he had worn from out of the clothes hamper and searched his pockets. He was somewhat relieved that the two condoms he had brought with him 'just in case' were both gone. Hopefully that meant he had actually used them. He would have felt a lot better if he could actually remember it, though. He pulled out a piece of paper from his front pocket, and opened it up.

_Blondie - You were a total stallion. Call me if you ever want another go. - Taya_

He read the phone number below her name. He supposed he could call her and... ask her what happened. But from what he remembered, she had been pretty much in the same shape he had been. He hesitated, then set the number on his dresser. He didn't know what to think about any of this. First he needed to deal with Sora, then call Sasuke.

He found a pair of sunglasses and headed out. Neither of his suitemates seemed to be around. At least they couldn't make fun of how messed up he looked.

It took forever for him to walk across campus, and by the time he got to Sora's he felt like he just wanted to lie down and sleep. But he pounded on his friend's door instead.

Sora answered, and had the nerve to smirk at him.

"You look like hell."

"Fuck you, Sora. We need to talk."

Sora began to look slightly nervous, but he opened the door and let Naruto in. "My roommate's taking his last exam. We have about an hour until he gets back," Sora looked at Naruto suggestively, and walked over to him, sliding his hand up Naruto's arms and then down his back to his ass.

"You were amazing last night. I could hardly get out of bed this morning."

"Yeah, but it would have been nice if I could remember any of it. You asshole, you spiked my drink," Naruto was seriously pissed off.

Sora pulled back. "Look, I told you I was going to get you drunk and laid for your birthday. I didn't say it wouldn't be with me."

"What the hell? First of all, you have no fucking right to put something in my drink without telling me. There's a difference between alcohol and illegal drugs."

"What, you're all Mr. Goody-two-shoes now? You didn't seem to have a problem with drugs when I'd talked about it before. Plus you're under-aged, so it was _all_ illegal."

"I don't have a problem with drugs necessarily, but it should still be _my choice_. If I am going to do some  
shit, I want to know that I am doing it, and make the call myself. I don't have a problem with some drugs, but there are some that I don't want to ever try. And you don't know me well enough to make that call for me. Not to mention the fact that when I woke up this morning, I didn't know what the hell was wrong with me. My roommates had to explain to me that I went to a rave, not a college party, and that a person that I had trusted as my _friend_ decided to slip something in my drink without even telling me."

Sora just looked at him, clearly not sure what to say.

"And then you fucked me," Naruto said, half statement, half question.

Sora winced at the words, then tried a small smile. "Actually, _you_ fucked _me_ , or you'd be feeling sore in places other than your head right now."

Somehow, this made Naruto even angrier. "I don't even remember it! It was my first time with a guy, and it would have been with a guy that I actually _liked_ and thought maybe would be my... boyfriend or something. How could you just use me like that, and expect me to be ok with it?"

"You didn't have a problem fucking that girl that you didn't even know. Why are you so pissed at me? I actually knew you, it wasn't just hooking up with some stranger."

"Yeah, that's right, Sora. That's exactly why I'm so pissed. I didn't know that girl, and she didn't know me. We were just releasing some tension together, or looking for a good time, or whatever, and it didn't mean anything. So it doesn't matter if I remember or not, or if she remembers me. Neither of us are going to be hurt by that. It was what we both were looking for and expecting. It was honest. But with you... I would have wanted to remember it. Because for me, it would have actually meant something. We were friends. I liked you. You wouldn't have been just a fuck."

Sora swallowed convulsively, noting the past tense of all those verbs, and his voice came out strangled. "Naruto... we can still be all that. I really like you too. I just... you didn't seem to want to move quickly, so I..."

"So you fucking _drugged me_ to make me move a little faster? What the hell, Sora! How can you honestly think that after something like this we can still even be friends? I wanted to go slow because I didn't want to just use you as a substitute for Sasuke, because I still wasn't over him. I wanted to go slow because it really mattered to me. Now I don't even fucking _remember_ it. But I guess you had a good time, so that's all that mattered."

"Naruto, I just... I wanted you to have a good time, and I wanted to be with you, too. I wasn't trying to take advantage of you."

"Really? Because it sure as hell looks like that to me. Where's my phone?" Naruto saw his phone and wallet on Sora's dresser. He walked over and picked them up. "I'm outta here."

"Naruto, wait. Let's just talk this through..."

"Sora, right now I pretty much don't even want to look at you," Sora flinched at Naruto's words, but didn't argue. "I don't know if I will get over this, but right now everything you are saying is just pissing me off more. What you did sucked. And right now, I don't want to talk to you, or do anything else with you."

Sora just looked at him, then nodded. "I'm sorry, Naruto."

"Yeah. Me, too," Naruto said softly, hurting for both of them but not being able to do anything else. This had crossed the line. There would be no going back.

. . . . .

He walked out of the dorm and found a quiet place between buildings to call Sasuke.

The first two times, the phone just rang then went to voicemail. "Sasuke - please call me back. I didn't mean to piss you off... I just want to talk."

The third time, Sasuke picked up. "Stop calling me. I don't want to talk to you."

"Sasuke, I just -"

"Let me be really clear here, Naruto. I do not have any interest in you, on any level. So you can just stop all your shit. Don't try to call me. Don't try to talk to me. Just leave me the fuck alone. We are not friends anymore.  We're done." And he disconnected.

Naruto just stood there, stunned, looking at his phone. How had this happened? Was it... because Naruto had admitted out loud that he felt something for Sasuke? Was that what had crossed the line? He thought about it, trying to understand. He had been furious with Sora because he had not asked for permission before giving Naruto drugs, and had then had sex with Naruto, knowing that Naruto wasn't really ready. It had been the end of their friendship, because he had broken their trust.

Maybe Sasuke felt a little like that? That Naruto had broken their trust, first by forcing the kiss, and then by confessing feelings that Sasuke had made clear he didn't return? It felt like an over-reaction. What Naruto had done didn't come close to what Sora had done. But Sasuke had always been a much less forgiving person. And much less tolerant of other people trying to force attachments on him.

Naruto walked around the campus. He felt numb. He had just lost his best friend, and the person closest to being his boyfriend all in the same morning. He felt... alone. He sat on a park bench, and watched ducks waddle along the path then into the small stream that ran through it.

He liked ducks.

They looked so funny.

He noticed one only had one leg. It was the fattest of all of them.

He wished he had some bread to feed them. Especially the one-legged one.

He watched them for an hour or so.

Slowly he felt his brain rebooting. He thought back over the friends that he had had. Aside from Sasuke, his friends from high school had only acknowledged his existence once he had become good at sports and his frame had filled out. Almost by definition, that made them not real friends. He had had fun with them, but they had never bothered to look below his surface until his external appearance had been good enough to bother with. Sasuke had been the only exception to that. He had seen something in Naruto that had nothing to do with how he looked, and had been his friend. When Sasuke could have had anyone as his friend, he had chosen Naruto. But, he supposed he had crossed the line with Sasuke by daring to express his deeper feelings for him. And evidently had been deemed as unworthy as all the fangirls that had gone before him. Or maybe Sasuke was just a straight up homophobe.

Naruto slowly felt a cleansing anger bubble up inside him. _You know what? Either way, fuck him. He thinks he's so much better than everyone else. He always has. Fuck him._

Maybe Sasuke thought Naruto would just trail around after him pining away like all his fangirls seemed to. But he was dead wrong. Naruto didn't need Sasuke. He had survived the majority of his life on his own. He didn't need anyone, and certainly not some ice princess who thought he was better than everyone else.

Naruto looked around. This was Sasuke's school. Great for business and finance. Pretty crappy for writing and literature. Why the hell was Naruto even here? Because he had been following his high school crush around like an idiot. Time to fix that. The school that the Pervert taught at was pretty good. And it was in Suna, which was even better. Plus tuition would be a hell of a lot cheaper since he would get a discount with his guardian being a faculty member. Even if his scholarship didn't transfer, he'd be fine. It was pretty far away from here, which is why he hadn't considered it in the first place, since it would have made visiting Sasuke even occasionally basically impossible. But now that was a major attraction.

He pulled out his phone and dialed. "Hey, Pervert."

" _Dammit, brat, how long are you going to keep calling me that?"_

"It'll be on your tombstone, bastard."

" _You'd better not."_

"Hey. Do you happen to know when the deadline is to apply as a transfer student for Suna U starting spring semester? I think I want to transfer, but don't want to have to wait for next fall."

" _Are you ok? Did something happen?"_

"I'm ok. I'm actually... I'm pretty good. I think I finally got my head on straight. I finally figured out what I want to major in. Only this school kinda sucks at it."

" _Oh? And what did you land on... finger painting?_ "

"Fuck you, asshole. Actually, I want to go into writing."

" _That's great! Following in my esteemed footsteps! Ha, I knew I'd rub off on you._ "

"Yeah, except instead of writing porn, I'm actually going to write."

" _Yeah, well, let's see what you actually can come up with. Deciding to write and actually writing are two different things. It's hard to make a living. And don't knock the porn. What I write is classic love in its purest form._ "

"Yeah, Icha Icha Bondage was a classic alright."

" _Get laid more, and you'll realize how true those words are. Anyway, I'm not sure what the deadline is, but let me go check it out. I'm friends with the dean, so she might be able to bend a few rules. Can you send over some samples of your writing? If you have anything decent, I can try to get the head of the department to pull a few strings as well. Maybe help get your scholarship transferred. Also have them send over an interim transcript. They'll need the final one eventually, but this should at least get the ball rolling."_

"Alright. I'll send a few pieces over this weekend, and get the transcript sent as soon as I can."

" _I haven't seen much of your writing... I'm actually interested to read it._ "

Naruto felt a little nervous twist in his stomach. He hated letting people read his stuff. It was pretty personal. But he supposed he'd have to get over it if he was going to be a professional writer. Or maybe he'd just write for fun, and go into journalism or editing or something related. He'd have to see how it played out.

The semester was already half done. He hoped like hell he'd be able to make it through the next six weeks still sharing a room with that asshole. At that thought, he looked at his watch. The administration office should still be open. He walked over and put in a request for an interim transcript to be sent to Jiraya at Suna U, and also officially filed a request for a roommate transfer. He didn't really know why he had been waiting for so long. He could have put in for one two weeks ago. They didn't have a clear sense on when he might get a new room, but at least the process was set in motion.

He went back to his dorm and pulled out a few of his notebooks. He figured he'd read through and pick four or five to send to Jiraya. He was sitting at his desk in his room when he heard a knock on the door.

"Come in."

The door opened and Neji came in. "How are you feeling?"

Naruto considered whether to answer quickly or honestly. Neji saw the hesitation, and sat down on the bed. Honestly it was, then.

"Well, someone I seriously had thought about dating spiked my drink to get me to have sex because evidently I was going too slow. So now we are no longer friends. Then Sasuke told me he basically never wanted to talk to me again, and left, and I am not entirely sure why. I have a hangover, and felt weirdly depressed and tired. I also seem to have had a minor mental breakdown while watching ducks an hour or so ago. But other than that, I'm fucking awesome."

Neji looked at him for a minute. "So... not good, then."

Naruto snorted at the gross understatement. Neji smiled slightly and continued, "Good about the person you almost dated, though. I mean, better to find out now before you wasted any more time. Whatever their reasons, that crossed the line."

Naruto nodded. He didn't regret what he had said to Sora. It sucked, but that just was the way it was. Neji was right.

"How are you handling the situation with Sasuke?"

Naruto shrugged. He didn't want to go into this. "I think it goes back a ways. I guess today was just the final straw."

Neji took the hint that Naruto wasn't going to disclose the reason.

"How are you guys supposed to be roommates if he doesn't want to ever talk to you again? Do you think he'll calm down and things will go back to normal?"

"I put in for a room transfer today. He's serious. I've known him for six years, and I have never seen him this pissed off at me. He doesn't do drama. If he says he doesn't want to talk to me again, that's what he means."

Neji looked at him, clearly trying to assess Naruto's state of mind. "Are you ok?"

Naruto looked down and blew out a breath. "I guess. A year ago I wouldn't have been. We were best friends. But... things changed and I guess in a way this is no surprise. We just... things changed."

Neji nodded. "Let's go out to dinner. My treat. Let's get you off campus. Then when we get back, Chouji should be here and we can see if he would be willing to swap with you. He can room with Sasuke and you can room with me. You'll still be suitemates, but at least you can avoid him if you want to. You won't have to share a sleeping space with him anymore."

"Yeah. That would help. Thanks, Neji. Should we call Chouji and invite him to come to dinner with us?"

"Are you kidding? Have you seen how much that guy eats?"

Naruto laughed. Maybe rooming with Neji would make the rest of the semester bearable. It certainly couldn't get worse. He wondered fleetingly why Neji didn't offer to room with Sasuke himself, rather than volunteering Chouji. Maybe Sasuke rubbed Neji the wrong way, too.

-xXx-

_to be continued_

ok, so... are we all still along for this ride? Sasuke actually has a really good reason for hating Naruto right now, and next chapter Sasuke spills his guts to Itachi (god I love him in a most unhealthy way), and you will finally get to see this all from his perspective. And also see Sasuke's reaction to Naruto now rooming with Neji.


	5. Two sides to every story

**Author's note:** FINALLY we get to see Sasuke's side of the story. It was killing me to not show both sides like I usually do, but I think the fight (and whole story) would have felt stupid because it would have seemed like Naruto should have known how Sasuke felt (or Sasuke should have known how Naruto felt), but now that we all know we didn't see certain things either, hopefully it will make it feel more possible for this situation to have actually happened. Here we go!

-xXx-

Sasuke pulled into the driveway of the family estate. Itachi had moved back when Sasuke had gone to college, and it still felt foreign to him... not like home. Itachi had decided that it was time to resume their family position in society and put the ghosts of the past behind them. Sasuke didn't know if he ever could, but he was no longer living at home anyway, so he supposed it didn't matter. He only came back for school breaks, this weekend being the exception. The day was overcast and blustery, somehow suiting Sasuke's tense state as he parked his black BMW and walked toward the mansion. The wind whipped at his hair and caused the fabric of his thin shirt to mould against his sculpted torso.

Sasuke was not surprised when the front door opened before he even reached it. Itachi stood there, leaning against the frame of the door watching Sasuke walk up the path to the house.

"Otouto," Itachi said simply, greeting his little brother, his usually expressionless eyes showing concern. They rarely ever called each other, despite the strong bonds each felt for the other. They were men of few words, and didn't need the flow of chatter or insignificant bits of daily news about the other to maintain that bond. They could read each other with a look, and had a trust built on surviving the death of their parents and keeping each other together through the ordeal.

When Sasuke had called out of the blue asking to come back for the weekend, Itachi had known something had happened. But he would let Sasuke tell him when he was ready. He arched a perfect black eyebrow when he saw that his brother had come home without even a small overnight bag. Clearly his exodus had been unplanned, and Itachi's concern deepened. There were few things that could actually shake his little brother.

"Nii-san," Sasuke said, his tone sounding formal, his eyes showing relief.

"Come. Dinner is being prepared."

They walked through the large, marble entryway through a large hall that led to a curved staircase. The house was cold, formal, and elegant, matching the brothers it belonged to. "You can go refresh yourself in your room, or we could have coffee on the terrace if you prefer."

Sasuke knew Itachi was offering the choice to let him set the pace for when he wanted to talk about whatever had driven him here. And he appreciated it. His brother usually did not offer choices. He simply swept all before him along whatever path his fearsome intellect had deemed was the correct one. When their parents had died, Itachi had simultaneously taken custody of his little brother, assumed the responsibility for running the family business empire, and finished college. Any one of those tasks would have been a full time commitment for a normal person, but Itachi had managed all three flawlessly, excelling in an almost super-human capacity at each. There was a reason that he typically did not bother offering choices or seeking opinions of mere mortals. Sasuke was one of the few exceptions.

Sasuke nodded, acknowledging the unusual courtesy. He needed time to gather his thoughts. Talking with Itachi was always... like undergoing brain surgery without anesthetics. The man was ruthless about probing with laser precision into exactly what was wrong, seeing to the heart of the problem with almost frightening accuracy, and addressing it in the most expedient way, regardless of the difficulty of doing so. There would be no 'hiding part of the story' from his brother. And though Sasuke had sought out Itachi's company, he needed just a bit more time to brace himself for the consequences.

"I haven't had a chance for a shower yet today. I'll just go up to my room and clean up. I'll be down in an hour."

Itachi nodded, then uncharacteristically came and placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "I'll be in my room, if you find yourself ready sooner."

The brothers had not grown up in an affectionate household, and physical contact between them was rare. More than anything, this act showcased Itachi's level of concern for his brother. Sasuke knew he would have not one minute past the hour that he had requested before Itachi came and sought him out. He turned and went up to his room, searching through the formal mahogany dresser he found there for clothing that had been purchased and left for his convenience.

He took the clothes into the large, marble bathroom that adjoined his bedroom, and turned on the shower. Once the water had warmed, he undressed and stepped into the shower. He wondered how much of what he was about to tell Itachi would come as a surprise. He had never discussed his sexuality with his brother, but somehow... Itachi always seemed to know everything before Sasuke said anything. He didn't feel anxiety about this part of the conversation, though. His brother would never judge someone on something superficial like sexuality, race or gender. He was ruthless in judging actions and intellect, however, and this was where Sasuke was more apprehensive. He knew he had mishandled the situation with Naruto, though hindsight was always 20/20. If he had disengaged slightly with Naruto years ago, he might have been able to avoid the complete rift that had been opened up between them now. They could have still been friends.

But he needed someone to talk to, and Sasuke would just have to bear the judgment of what his brother would make of his actions.

Sasuke dressed simply, wearing black sweatpants and a black T-shirt. Normally, he would have dressed more formally for dinner, but he knew that he would likely be up talking to his brother until late into the night, and wanted to be comfortable. It was closing in on the promised hour when he exited the sanctuary of his own room and walked downstairs to the large dining room, where his brother was already seated.

Itachi noted his brother's clothing, but didn't comment. They ate the deliciously prepared meal in silence. Itachi sighed, losing patience with the situation, but knowing his brother probably wished to discuss this privately. While the dishes were being cleared by the house staff, Itachi rose and headed towards his study. Sasuke followed. Sasuke closed the mahogany paneled doors behind him as Itachi poured them each a shot of port. Neither one was particularly fond of drinking, but in this case, Itachi assumed it would be welcomed. Sasuke accepted the glass and drank down the burning liquid.

Itachi sighed. "Just start at the beginning." Neither one of them was partial to small talk.

Sasuke paused, his face expressionless. Then he spoke in an inflectionless voice. "You mean the beginning where I knew that I started to... be interested... in Naruto, or the beginning when he found out about it?"

Not surprisingly, Itachi showed no surprise at either of these statements. Sasuke almost laughed. Of course Itachi had known.

"Wherever you think you need to start in order for me to understand what has been going on between you and your best friend over the past year."

Sasuke sighed and leaned back on the couch. "Somehow, I don't think I need to give you much context, as you clearly have known about it for some time."

Itachi simply shrugged an elegant shoulder. "You are my little brother. I pay attention."

Though Sasuke would never admit it, the statement warmed him. He would never truly be alone as long as he had Itachi.

"I've liked Naruto as more than a friend for... a long time. But he was clearly interested in girls. Especially Sakura," Sasuke heard the jealous twist in his voice when he said her name, and schooled himself back to his usual expressionless demeanor.

Itachi simply arched a brow, waiting for Sasuke to continue. Obviously, this was not new news to Itachi.

"But last year, in January, we were in my room playing video games as usual, and out of the blue he said he wanted to kiss me." Sasuke felt his stomach tighten at the memory of that day. The day he thought for one dizzying moment that he was actually going to get what he had been secretly hoping for for years.

Itachi's eyebrows shot up at that. "Naruto said he was attracted to you?"

Sasuke laughed bitterly. "No. At first, I was... hoping... but, no. I asked him if he might like guys, but he stated very clearly that he had no interest in guys, he only liked girls. He just wanted to help me 'figure things out' to see if I liked guys, so he could find me a _'nice boyfriend_."

Itachi tried to keep the sympathy from his eyes, knowing it would not be appreciated.

"I told him no. We were on my fucking bed, and they guy I have been attracted to for years asks to kiss me... as some sort of _experiment_. But he just..." Sasuke trailed off, recalling the moment and swallowing hard. "... he just went for it and kissed me anyway."

Itachi's eyebrows rose. He waited for Sasuke to continue, and when he didn't, Itachi gave him a gentle nudge. "And?"

"And it was... amazing," Sasuke admitted softly. Then his voice cooled again. "A little too amazing, if you know what I mean. I panicked, and just shoved Naruto off the bed and left the room, hoping he didn't notice that I..."

Itachi smirked. "That good, huh? Were you wearing sweat pants or jeans?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, embarrassed that Itachi had known exactly what he was trying to say, but also glad he didn't have to completely spell it out. "Jeans."

"Well, then hopefully your reaction wasn't too noticeable."

"No, he noticed. He told me today - while looking so uncomfortable that he could hardly get the words out - that he had... 'felt something he hadn't expected'... that day and knew how I felt about him now. Then he asked if I could just be _normal_. Because being gay is not normal, right? To him, I'm some deviant now. So he just asked if I could just forget the kiss ever happened and go back to thinking about him as just friends. Like its some fucking switch I can just turn off. After all that bullshit about 'accepting me no matter what'," Sasuke realized he was talking more to himself now than Itachi, and forced himself to stop.

Itachi moved over and sat by his brother on the sofa. "There is nothing wrong with being gay. Or bisexual. You can like whoever you want to, little brother."

"I know. I just never thought he would say _that_ to me... that I was _abnormal_ for my feelings for him. I get that he didn't feel the same. I can't help it that I like guys, and he can't help it that he doesn't. I wasn't trying to push it with him. And that day... he had told me that he didn't care if I was gay or straight. That he'd be my friend no matter what."

Itachi looked at his brother, aching for him. "I guess there is a difference between knowing your friend is gay, and knowing he is gay for _you_ ," Itachi said softly. "Naruto can't help his sexuality any more than you can help yours." Itachi believed, however, that Naruto was not as straight as Sasuke thought... he had seen the younger boy looking at his brother with a longing that spoke of more than friendship, though whether the blond was self-aware enough to realize that or not was another matter entirely. But Itachi knew that now was not the time to try to talk to Sasuke about it. He was hurting and needing to talk about what had happened before he'd be open to hearing about other possible perspectives. So Itachi let Sasuke continue for the time being.

Sasuke sighed, pushing his hair out of his eyes. "I know. I know that. Which is why I was trying so hard to not show him how I really felt. Even if we could never be more than friends, his friendship was enough."

Itachi frowned slightly at the blatant lie. "You've skipped several steps in your story. Let's go back to what happened after the kiss. You just found out that he noticed your... little problem. Which means that you didn't know that at the time, but your friendship was falling apart before today. What happened after the kiss?"

"I guess neither of us handled it well. I pushed Naruto away and ended the kiss. He landed on the floor looking... embarrassed and shocked and somewhat horrified. I knew he had noticed something. I didn't know what to do, so I just went down to the kitchen until I had myself under control, trying to think of what I could say. But before I even had the chance, he grabbed his things and left, saying he had to be home for dinner. He lived alone. He didn't have to be home for fucking dinner. He just wanted to get the hell away from me. From his friend who was gay for him.

"And it just got worse then next day at school. Every time he even looked at me, he got all uncomfortable and embarrassed. In the locker room, he was embarrassed for me to even see him in a towel after soccer practice. He took one look at me and turned bright red, watching me to make sure I didn't get too close. He got dressed as fast as possible and literally _ran_ out of the locker room. Like he thought I was going to attack him or something. That was the first day in years that we didn't walk home from school together. I told him I wasn't gay... I would have told him anything just to get him to calm down, but obviously he didn't believe me."

Itachi stirred. "Of course he didn't believe you. It was a lie, and he probably knew it, at least on some level. Lying won't help your friend to trust you again, Sasuke."

Sasuke accepted the reprimand, knowing it was true. He sighed. "I know. I just didn't want to lose him completely. It had been bad enough watching him throw himself at Sakura for years. But at least I still had him as a friend. He was still -"

Sasuke cut off, realizing he had been about to say _he was still mine._ That degree of possessiveness was not something he wanted to admit out loud. But of course, Itachi required no verbalization of the thought to read it.

"He was still yours," Itachi finished for him, onyx eyes expressionless.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Yes."

"So you decided to pay him back, by claiming Sakura, the girl that Naruto liked, knowing that she loved you, not him."

"Not exactly. It wasn't to make him suffer."

Itachi raised an eyebrow in skepticism.

"I just thought that if he actually spent any real time with Sakura, he would realize that they had nothing in common. I never understood what he saw in her. Other than having a somewhat attractive face, what did she have? Why was he so fixated on her that he was completely blind to anyone else?"

"Blind to you, you mean."

Sasuke felt his fist clench. "Yes."

"So you thought if you had Sakura hang around the two of you, he'd get to know her and realize that you were the much better choice."

Sasuke hated how simplistic Itachi was able to make that sound. But he couldn't deny it. Why didn't Naruto see? It was so obvious that Sakura was no match for him. "It didn't work. Every time Naruto saw us together, he was just eaten up with jealousy. It was written all over his face. I kept waiting for him to realize that she wasn't worth his fixation. I thought he'd see... but he didn't."

"But you kept dating her anyway. And inviting her whenever you knew Naruto would be over."

Sasuke sighed, looking up at the ceiling. Nothing had gone as he had planned. "I thought that if I had failed at showing Naruto that he should stop being interested in Sakura, maybe at least I could convince him that _I_ was interested in her, so he would stop being so embarrassed and awkward around me. I didn't really care whether he thought he had misread the kiss and that I wasn't gay, or whether he thought I had just moved on to Sakura and liked her instead of Naruto. Anything that would make him less uncomfortable around me, so we could just get past that kiss and go back to at least being friends."

"But that didn't work either," Itachi stated, recalling the fiasco at Sasuke's birthday. After Naruto had left, Sasuke had just shut down. He had barely spoken the rest of the day. Sakura had left around lunch time, totally at a loss for what was wrong with her boyfriend. Itachi had known, and tried to get Naruto to come back. But it hadn't worked. It was the only time Itachi had seen Sasuke get drunk. After a horribly silent dinner, Itachi had asked if Sasuke wanted to watch a movie or go out, but Sasuke had refused, saying he just wanted to be alone. Later that evening, Itachi had come into the kitchen to find Sasuke passed out in one of the kitchen chairs with a half empty bottle of bourbon. The next day, Naruto had left with Jiraya for the rest summer, not even attending their graduation parties that were still taking place. Sasuke had broken up with Sakura, but it was too late. "All you did was hurt Naruto, who felt like not only did you choose Sakura over him as a friend, but that you were rubbing his face in the fact that you were dating the girl that you knew full well he liked. When in fact you had no interest in her at all, and were just using her."

Sasuke just nodded, closing his eyes. "I never slept with her. I wasn't that callous. I was honest with her that I was... interested in someone else, but that they didn't return my feelings. She was surprised, but was more than happy to date me anyway. I told her that I wouldn't sleep with her when I still liked someone else. I was open with her. If I was using her, she knew and agreed to it."

"Naruto thought you were sleeping with her."

"Probably."

"You made sure he did. When Naruto was here, you were all over Sakura. You never even looked at him. If you had, maybe you would have noticed how hurt he was by what you were doing."

"Or maybe he would have noticed that I could barely control myself around him. He came to school one day covered with hickies from some girl, and I almost..." Sasuke closed his eyes, remembering the jealous rage he had felt at seeing _his_ Naruto marked by someone else, and the almost primal urge to erase those marks by replacing them with marks of his own.

"You still want him," Itachi stated.

There was a long pause. Then:

"Yes."

"But you continue to play games with him."

"What do you mean?"

"I ran into Hyuuga Neji at one of the business meetings between Uchiha Corp and Hyuuga Corp. He had some interesting things to say about you. I didn't realize he was rooming with you and Naruto."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "What did he say?"

Itachi paused, letting his little brother sweat a bit. "What do you think he told me?"

"Itachi -" Sasuke growled warningly. He was not in the mood for his brother's mind games.

"He told me that your social life had become quite active. Although there appeared to be a high correlation between the nights you'd bring someone to your bed, and the nights you expected Naruto to be home in time to see it."

 _Fucking Hyuuga._ Sasuke liked the brunette less and less. He saw too many things that were not his business.

"I found it interesting. And I wondered what my little brother, who never had shown much interest in women, might have been thinking when he took them to his bed, in a room he shared with the one person he _was_ interested in. While that person listened from the other side of the door. Almost in the room with you, if my memory of how thin dorm walls are is accurate. Was it really still just to convince Naruto that you were straight? Or was there a more... subtle reason you were doing it?"

Sasuke glared at Itachi, daring him to complete that thought aloud. But not denying it either.

"I am assuming that you would have gotten into a bit of trouble had one of your 'dates' had the habit of asking her lover to 'say her name' during intercourse. Whose name would you have said, I wonder?"

"Fuck you, Itachi," Sasuke snapped.

"Only if you call me Naruto," Itachi said, his face stoic but his eyes brimming with unholy amusement.

Fury etching his features, Sasuke stood abruptly to leave the room.

"So you're releasing your claim on Naruto, then?"

The words froze Sasuke in his tracks, but he did not turn around to face his brother.

"You left after the fight you had with him, not even bothering to take a change of clothes. Knowing you as I do, I can't imagine you left without telling him anything. Have you severed things with him? Are you now giving up and willing to let him go and belong to someone else?"

Itachi was purposefully used the word 'belong', rather than 'be with', knowing it would trigger Sasuke's emotions. His little brother had always been possessive and protective when it came to Naruto, even though the blond required no such thing. Itachi could read the tension in his brother's back, every muscle was clenched.

"I didn't hear you, Sasuke."

"Sometimes, we don't get to choose what is going to happen."

"Because you think he's straight."

"I know he's straight."

"Is it normal for a straight man to kiss his male best friend? Is it normal for a straight man to sleep in his male friend's bed after the age of twelve? Is it normal for a straight man to follow his male best friend to college without even voicing an opinion on what he wants to study?"

Sasuke had considered this. He had looked at all those facts before, and hoped. But nothing had come from any attempt to get Naruto to react to him in that way.

"It is possible that Naruto doesn't realize he has deeper feelings for you."

"Itachi - I have had straight men proposition me before. I have had men and women from the ages of eight to one hundred pursue me, as I'm sure you have as well. Naruto and I have been friends for years, spending time together in almost every situation. I have been naked in front of Naruto, and like you said, yes, he has shared my bed. And _nothing ever happened_ except for that one damned kiss. If he were gay, or even just slightly bi, he would have shown his interest in me by now and pursued me. I have had countless men and women desire me. I know how to read the signs. If he were interested in men _at all_ , he would have been interested in me."

Itachi thought about this, amused by the arrogance of his younger brother. While what Sasuke had said was true in a way, he knew that Sasuke was overlooking the fact that Naruto was in fact _different_ from all the other admirers that Sasuke had. Because the others were after sex first with him, and friendship as an afterthought. With Naruto, it would not be that way. Itachi knew that Naruto viewed Sasuke as a friend at such a deep level that it was almost a bond of brotherhood. Even if Naruto held sexual feelings for Sasuke, he would not betray that bond by forcing his feelings on Sasuke overtly. In much the same way that Sasuke had withheld his own feelings from Naruto.

But Itachi couldn't be absolutely _sure_ that Naruto returned his brother's desire. When platonic love ran so deep, sometimes it was hard to differentiate from erotic love. And he didn't want his brother to be hurt anymore than he already was. So he would not push his brother further for now. He would first ascertain what Naruto's real feelings were towards his brother. The semester was already half over. Winter break would be here soon enough, and Naruto would be back in Konoha. Itachi would have time then to get to the bottom of this, and decide how best to proceed. But he could at least help his brother sort out his own feelings.

"You will have to decide what you really want to do here, Sasuke. You can decide that Naruto is not the only person you could want, and seek another. If you do that, you will need to accept the fact that he will also move on and will be with someone else. If you can't let him go, then you will need to convince him that there is more than friendship between you. It is true that you have had countless people pursue you. But if you want Naruto, you will have to be the one to pursue him. He will not be like all the fangirls who simply swoon at your feet when you exhale."

"I know that, Itachi," Sasuke let his annoyance show.

Itachi smirked. _I wonder if you really do, little brother._

Sasuke frowned at the smirk. "Naruto has already had other _lovers,_ " Sasuke spat the word, ignoring the look that Itachi sent reminding him that Sasuke had also been quite active in that regard. "I already have had to let him go."

Itachi just looked at his little brother, amazed that someone so brilliant could be such a fool when it came to his own emotions, and those of his best friend. If Sasuke really thought he had let go of Naruto after everything he had just said, then his self-awareness was worse than Naruto's.

But there were ways to force his hand. One might have to wait a bit, and would involve some cooperation from Naruto. But there was another option that was open to them tonight. "I think we should go out. A friend of mine owns a private club. We will have no problem getting in. Go with an open mind. Don't look for someone who you could use to make Naruto jealous. Go see if there are others out there that genuinely interest you. Get dressed. There should be appropriate clothes in your closet."

. . . . .

The two brothers walked into the nightclub. A ripple of silence spread out around them, as people literally stopped to stare at the impossibly beautiful and masculine pair. There were heated glances from the women and some men who could literally feel the testosterone and raw sex appeal radiating off the two black-haired, elegantly dressed men. Several of the women nearby shuddered, as if experiencing minor orgasms just from looking at the two in close proximity. Neither of the brothers appeared to notice, such reactions being common since they were children.

Itachi looked at Sasuke. "Let's get a drink." They walked over to the bar, and were immediately attended to. "Is Kisame here tonight?"

The bartender nodded. "He'll be down shortly."

Itachi looked back over to his brother, who was already beginning to draw a small crowd. Several approached Itachi, but Itachi simply glared death at them until they turned their attention elsewhere. Tonight was for his little brother. He didn't want to attract the attentions of someone who might potentially interest his Otouto. Kisame would help with that. Itachi and Kisame had been unlikely friends since college. Several people had suspected they were lovers at that time, given how much time they spent together. Itachi occasionally used that rumor to ward off unwanted attention. Kisame was almost seven feet tall and built like the proverbial brick shithouse. No matter how lust-crazed his admirers, they paused around Kisame. Not that Itachi needed any help fending them off on his own, but tonight he wanted to be able to relax and watch his little brother, not have to be constantly glaring at people trying to approach him. And he knew it amused Kisame to no end to act as his 'boyfriend'.

The large man had come down to the main level of the club and greeted Itachi warmly, standing next to him with his arm draped around him in a proprietary manner. Kisame was actually straight, but got intense enjoyment from the jealous glares he received from both men and women when he and Itachi played their little game. Itachi was intensely private when it came to his sex life, so Kisame wasn't entirely sure if his friend were straight or gay, but one thing he would stake his life on was that Itachi was never the submissive in any relationship. Otherwise... he might have considered testing the waters for real with his stoically beautiful friend. He might be straight, but Itachi was... Itachi.

Sasuke greeted the giant standing next to his brother. He had always been a bit curious about how much of their relationship was real, and how much was a front. There were several beautiful young socialites that Itachi occasionally was seen with at black-tie events. Rumors abounded that they were also his lovers, or even that one might be his fiancée, but Itachi always just raised a perfect brow when anyone questioned him on it. Even Sasuke had never seen Itachi bring someone back to their house. There had been nights when the man didn't return home, however, and Sasuke had seen love bites on his brother's neck, so he knew he was not asexual. Just... very, very discreet.

Sasuke sighed, shaking himself out of the somewhat disturbing curiosity he had about his brother's sex life. He would try to take Itachi's advice, but he didn't think it would matter much. He hadn't exactly been celibate for the past two months. It hadn't helped. But then again, his partners had all been females. They bore no resemblance to Naruto. It was only their physical proximity to the object of his desires that had made the act stimulating at all. A flash of blond caught his eye, and he looked as clear green eyes stared up at him from an attractive, masculine face. The eye color was off, but perhaps... Sasuke smirked at the blond male, who immediately walked over and sat next to him.

Itachi sighed. This wasn't going to work. His brother barely had to look at someone and they basically fell to their knees in front of him. It wouldn't teach him how to pursue someone. All it was doing was reinforcing his brother's belief that if anyone were even slightly interested in him, they went straight for his zipper. Of course he didn't see that Naruto was interested, if this was how he was used to that emotion being expressed.

He watched his brother head to one of the back rooms with the blond man. _Well, at least some of the tension will be eased_. He wondered if his brother had been with a man before, or if this would be his first time. Sasuke didn't seem nervous. He suspected that his baby brother had been even more active than Neji knew. He sighed. Young love. Such idiots.

-xXx-

Sasuke drove back Sunday night. He didn't know exactly what he felt about Naruto at this exact moment, but he decided that he would be willing to see how the blond reacted to him. He felt slightly guilty that he had left without giving Naruto a chance to explain himself further. After all, Naruto had been very hung over when they'd had that conversation, and potentially his words had not come out as he had meant them. Itachi had tried to drill that thought into Sasuke's head during the rest of the weekend, and had partially succeeded. Itachi had insisted that Naruto was not the kind of person to say that someone was _abnormal_ for being gay. Naruto was one of the most tolerant and open-minded people that he knew. Sasuke had reluctantly agreed.

He kept his mind from going back to the experience at the club. It had been physically enjoyable, but emotionally vacant, just like every other time he had had sex. The instant after his release, he had no further desire to talk to the person he had been with. The act itself had been more enjoyable with a male than with a female, but there had not been that searing, overwhelming _feeling_ that he had experienced from Naruto's simple kiss. He didn't want to ascribe a name to that feeling. He didn't want to think about what it meant that no one else even came close to making him feel that way.

He did find it annoying, though, that all he had to do was glance at someone in the club and they were dragging him off to the nearest secluded area to have sex, while he had stood _naked_ in front of Naruto on several occasions in their past, and Naruto had only ever tried that one kiss. He thought about ways that maybe he could... increase Naruto's awareness of him. Having Naruto as his roommate left him fairly unlimited options in that regard.

His mind was working as he walked into his suite, noticing both bedroom doors closed. He walked to his room and was surprised to find Chouji sitting on Naruto's bed. When Naruto was not here.

"What are you doing here? Where's Naruto?" Sasuke snapped out. He liked Chouji, but he was not the person Sasuke wanted in his bedroom.

Chouji swallowed the mouthful of chips he was chewing. "After you left last week, Naruto put in for a room transfer. I guess it is not automatic, so he is on a waiting list, and they said it could take several weeks. Naruto was really upset, so Neji asked if I would switch with Naruto so you guys don't have to suffer together until the transfer comes through. We switched rooms over the weekend. Naruto is sleeping in Neji's room for now."

Sasuke felt his stomach clench. " _What?!"_

-xXx-

_to be continued_

I know, I know... but in my defense, I will say that in middle school one of my friends realized he was gay, and he had a crush on one of the 'popular boys'.  He never said anything all through high school.  I ended up going to college with the 'popular boy', and found out that not only was he bi, but he had liked my friend and ALSO never said anything.  By then they were living on opposite sides of the country, seeing other people, and never spoke again.  I am not following the same storyline here (god, seeing that once in my life was plenty, let me tell you), but I just want to say that expressing a sexual identity that isn't the 'cookie cutter' one is super fucking hard as a teenager (even hetero girls who just like sex, or straight guys who like romance more than sex).  It is scary... like really, really scary.  So yes, they are idiots.  But there is a reason for it (but I promise this story will end better than the real life events it was inspired by).  Next chapter will be up tomorrow morning.


	6. Bad influences

-xXx-

_"What are you doing here? Where's Naruto?" Sasuke snapped out. He liked Chouji, but he was not the person Sasuke wanted in his bedroom._

_Chouji swallowed the mouthful of chips he was chewing. "After you left last week, Naruto put in for a room transfer. I guess it is not automatic, so he is on a waiting list, and they said it could take several weeks. Naruto was really upset, so Neji asked if I would switch with Naruto so you guys don't have to suffer together until the transfer comes through. We shifted rooms over the weekend. Naruto is sleeping in Neji's room for now."_

_Sasuke felt his stomach clench. "What?!"_

Sasuke slammed his wallet and keys down on his dresser and stalked over to Neji's door. He flung it open, without even knocking, earning a hard glare from the pale-eyed man.

"Doors are closed for a reason. Knock if you need me," Neji said, his face reflecting annoyance as he sat at his desk, a pile of text books open in front of him.

"Where is Naruto?" Sasuke demanded, his eyes taking in the rumpled orange comforter that belonged to his friend on the bed that used to belong to Chouji.

"He left an hour ago," Neji said coolly. "After moping around all weekend wondering where the hell you had disappeared to and why you were so pissed at him, I guess he kind of got tired of waiting for you to grace us with your presence. After he called your brother and found out you were there, and not dead in a car accident or something, he left." Neji's eyes flicked over to Naruto's desk. Sasuke's gaze followed and widened slightly as they took in Naruto's smashed cell phone.

Sasuke had had his phone off the whole weekend, the first evening because he was just annoyed because Naruto had kept calling him, but after that he had just honestly forgotten to turn it back on. He pulled it out, turned it on, and began to scroll through the messages. 12 texts from Naruto. Sasuke paled a little as he got down to the last ones. _Fuck, this was not good._

He turned and walked slowly back to his room, ignoring the sharp pale eyes that followed him. He read through the texts once more:

_"Sasuke - I get that you don't want to talk right now, but you didn't come back last night and I just wanted to be sure you are ok."_

_"Look, I was really hung over. If I said something stupid, just tell me. At least tell me when you'll be back so I know you're ok."_

Sasuke scrolled through several more that were along similar lines of trying messages getting progressively more worried as the weekend had gone on.

_"Where are you? You didn't take any clothes. What the hell happened?"_

_"What the fuck? We've been friends for like 6 years. r u serious? At least let Chouji or Neji know if you are ok. They are starting to freak out, too."_

Sasuke scrolled down to the last two texts, re-reading them with a sinking feeling in his stomach.

_"Seriously, it's been almost two days, and no one knows where you are. Just send me a reply so I know you are ok. We don't even know if we should call campus security to report you missing. I'm going to call Itachi and see if he has heard from you."_

_"Asshole. I called Itachi, and he said you were with him this weekend. You inconsiderate fuck. We were all worried. You could have at least told Chouji or Neji you were going home for the weekend. That's just basic roommate hygiene, even if you don't give a fuck about any of us. Know what? Screw you. You don't want to be friends anymore? Fine. I'm done. This past year has been nothing but bullshit anyway from you. I've moved out of your fucking room, so that should help. Should have done this weeks ago, but like you've always said, I'm just an idiot. Have a nice life, bastard."_

Sasuke looked over at Chouji, who had finished his chips and was scrolling through something on his laptop.

"Sorry... that I didn't call," it honestly had not occurred to Sasuke that his roommates would worry. He had never gone anywhere for the weekend, and didn't go to parties and stay over, so he had just never though about it. But he realized that his roommates all tended to let the others know when they would be gone for the night. And he had been worried when Naruto had just come home late on his birthday. Sasuke knew that he had been radio silent for more than two days, and probably his roommates had a right to be a little pissed with him.

Chouji looked up and shrugged. "It's alright, I guess. Neji and I were a little worried, but Naruto was totally freaking out. Thought maybe you were in a car accident or you were passed out sick at a party or something. But next time just leave a note so we know."

Sasuke nodded, and cringed slightly, feeling guilty. He supposed after Naruto's experience with getting his drink spiked, he didn't blame him for being worried.

"Did Naruto say where he was going?" Sasuke tried to keep his voice casual. Clearly he couldn't call the blond or text him to say he was sorry with Naruto's phone being smashed, but he would wait up and catch him when he got back.

Chouji blinked in surprise, and Sasuke figured Naruto must have told them about the fight they'd had, and what he'd said. "He said he wouldn't be back tonight."

Sasuke frowned at that. "It's Sunday. Doesn't that idiot know he has class in the morning?" Sasuke scrubbed his fingers through his hair. The longer this dragged on, the worse it would get. He had to talk to Naruto. "Do you know where he went?"

Chouji shook his head. "No. But I think..." His voice trailed off.

"What?" Sasuke asked, trying but failing to keep the bite out of his tone.

"I don't have any idea where he is. I think he went to see a girl he hooked up with on his birthday; I get the feeling she's older. It didn't sound like he was going to someplace on campus."

"Why do you think that?" Sasuke didn't like the sound of that. Naruto had always been a little clueless about things. Naruto always saw the good in people, even if it wasn't necessarily there. He didn't like the idea of some older woman getting her hooks into him. He was barely legal, for fuck's sake.

Chouji shrugged, uncomfortable. Given that his two suitemates were fighting, he didn't really know how much he should say. He remembered the conversation Naruto and Neji had over the weekend, but was pretty sure Naruto wouldn't appreciate him telling Sasuke about it.

_Naruto was holding the piece of paper with the number from the girl he had hooked up with at the rave. He wasn't really sure what proper etiquette was in situations like this. With his first one-night-stand, the girl had made it clear it was a one time only thing, and she hadn't given her number or asked for Naruto's. But this girl had left her number in Naruto's pocket. Would he be a jerk if he didn't call and acknowledge it? Or was he only supposed to call if he wanted to have sex again? He wasn't really sure what the rules were, but he didn't want to hurt her feelings if he was supposed to call. Jiraya had always told him that if a girl was nice enough to take to bed, she was nice enough to say hello to the next day._

_But he also didn't want to come across as a sex fiend, just trying to hook up again right away._

_Neji and Chouji had been watching TV in the living area, and Neji had noticed Naruto's consternation over the scrap of paper._

_"Problems?"_

_"Umm," Naruto had looked a little sheepish, and scratched the back of his head nervously. "Well, I have kind of a... question."_

_Neji just raised a brow, indicating Naruto should just ask it._

_"Ok, so on Thursday night, I... hooked up with this girl," Naruto blushed slightly, feeling like such an idiot asking his roommates advice for this, but he figured a guy that looked like Neji must have gotten a lot of play, so he'd know the ropes._

_"And that's a problem?"_

_"No, it's just... she left her phone number in my pocket, with a note that if I wanted to get together again to call her, but... I mean, what should I do?"_

_"Do you want to have sex with her again?"_

_"No. Maybe... I didn't really think about it, but I just feel like if she left me her number, I should at least call her and say something nice, or whatever since we..." Naruto was getting progressively redder and redder, and Neji had to focus all his effort into schooling his face to be still and not burst out laughing at his innocent-yet-not-so-innocent roommate._

_"So you're worried you'll... hurt her feelings if you don't call?"_

_Naruto blew a breath out, finally getting control over his blushing face. "I just don't want to be an ass about it, you know? I don't want to be one of those guys who's so sweet getting a girl into their bed, then totally ignores them the next day."_

_"Like Sasuke?" Chouji asked. Neji lost it at that point and laughed._

_Naruto chuckled a bit as well. "No, Sasuke's actually consistently an ass to the girls, before, during, and after sex. They just want to jump him anyway. It's messed up, but at least he's totally straight-forward about it."_

_Neji looked at Naruto. "You do what you think is right. If you feel like you should call this girl so you don't feel like a jerk, then call her. There's no 'right answer'. If she hooked up with you at a party, that's probably all she was expecting, so I wouldn't worry about it either way."_

_"Thanks, Neji. I think... I think I'll at least call her to apologize in case I was an ass or something. I was so wasted. I don't even remember much about it."_

_"If she left you her number, then you weren't an ass. Or if you were, she liked it. But call her if it will make you feel better about the whole thing."_

_Naruto realized Neji was making fun of him, and he probably was coming across like a complete idiot. But Neji was right. It would make him feel better about himself to call the girl, and so that was what he was going to do. He just wasn't really used to the whole one-night-stand thing. But at the moment, it seemed a lot more honest and straight-forward than his actual relationships were. At this point, he had no interest in trying to get a boyfriend or girlfriend. Given that the guy he was in love with and the guy he had been thinking about dating had both completely fucked him over this past weekend, he decided that either he was a terrible judge of character or people just sucked in general. Either way, he was going to avoid emotional entanglements for the foreseeable future until he either developed a thicker skin or better judgment._

_He went into the room he shared with Neji and closed the door. Not that the thin walls afforded much privacy, but he figured he'd at least not have to see his roommates laugh at the awkward conversation he was about to have. I mean, what do you say to a girl you fucked while drunk at a party. Thanks? Was nice to meet you? Did we use a condom?_ _Hmmm... Naruto stared at his phone, hoping inspiration would strike._

Nope. Nothing. _Oh, well._ He just dialed and hoped something would come to him. He found it strange that the first number he was plugging into his new phone was from a one night stand. He had dropped his old one running across the street when he had gone to check to see if Sasuke's car was still in the parking lot, and a car had run over it before he had a chance to get it. Luckily, he was almost done with his contract, so he had just gone down and signed up for a new term and gotten a new phone. And he had decided that given the number of texts that Sora had sent him and the anger he had felt waiting for Sasuke to call him back, he'd just get a new number as well. Fuck them both. He'd text Ino, Kiba, and Jiraya his new number. Other than that, there weren't that many people he'd kept in contact with anyway.

" _This is Taya_ ," a woman's voice picked up, sounding cool and self-assured.

"Um... Hi. This is Naruto," Naruto cleared his throat, then realized she had no idea who he was, since he didn't think he had given her his name the other night. "Um... we met Thursday night, and you gave me your number."

" _Naruto, huh?"_ He could hear the smile in her voice and suddenly felt glad he had called. " _I'm glad to finally have a name to go with the face, since I was feeling a little creepy just thinking of you as 'Blond Stallion'."_

Naruto blew out a laugh. "Yeah, I also was thinking of you as... something... not your name, until I found your note the next morning." _God, I hope that didn't sound as awkward to her as it did to me._

" _Oh, really?"_ Her voice dropped a bit and became huskier. Naruto suddenly had a vivid memory of her voice whispering in his ear when he had her pinned up against the wall at the rave. _"And what did you call me in your head?"_

Naruto wasn't sure how she'd feel about being thought of as 'thong girl'. "Umm... maybe it's better if I just call you Taya."

_"Don't tell me you're shy."_

"I just don't want you to think I'm a jerk. I don't remember much about the party, but... I had a great time with you."

" _Hmm... Do you have a girlfriend, Naruto?"_

"What? No, of course not!" Naruto realized he shouldn't get offended by the question. After all, the only thing this person knew about him was that he got drunk and high at a party and had sex with her. Not exactly a character reference for himself.

" _Ok, what about a boyfriend_?"

"No, I'm not dating anyone."

" _Are you sure? You seemed to be... pretty involved with the guy you came to the party with_."

That statement gave Naruto pause. She must have continued to watch him after they had... finished. And seen him with Sora. _God, she must think I am a total..._ He wasn't really sure what noun would be appropriate to describe someone who would do that in their right frame of mind.

"Ah, no. Actually, that guy was my friend and he kind of spiked my drink and... we're not friends anymore."

 _"Oh. Sorry to hear that. It happens sometimes. So... are you bi or was that guy just a total dick?_ " Naruto was relieved to hear no disgust or pity in her voice.

"Both."

Taya laughed, and it was a nice sound. " _I guess that makes sense."_

"So what about you... do you have a boyfriend?"

_"No... I broke up with someone a month ago. I'm not looking for a relationship, though."_

_"_ Yeah, me neither," Naruto admitted, glad she had voiced this first so he wouldn't look like a shallow jerk.

_"How old are you?"_

Naruto decided to hedge. "I'm over eighteen." _By a couple of days, but hey, who's counting_.

" _Well, then, that's a relief. A few friends and I are going to go out for drinks tonight. Do you want to join us?"_

Taya seemed funny, and cool. And he could use some companionship with no strings attached. Especially if it got him out of his dorm and away from Sasuke. He'd called Itachi and found out Sasuke had left to head back to school, and Naruto did not want to be here when he arrived. Meeting up with Taya sounded like more fun than hanging out at the library until it closed, but he would never pass as old enough to get into a bar on his word alone. He was sure he'd be carded.

"Sorry... not quite old enough for that," Naruto admitted.

" _I have a friend that could hook you up with a fake I.D. Why don't you come over and we can take a quick picture and get you one? Then you can take me out for a drink."_

Having a fake ID could come in handy. If he were at a party drinking and it got raided, the cops wouldn't book him if the ID passed first glance examination. Naruto wondered how old Taya was, and why she wanted him to meet her friends if she said she didn't want a relationship. But age shouldn't matter, and she already said she wasn't expecting anything serious. Naruto had been spending most of his time with Sora, which was no longer an option, and hanging out in Ino's room would get complicated as well since she had a boyfriend and her roommate kept trying to hit on Naruto. With things now so much worse with Sasuke, he really just wanted to get out of the dorms for the night. So he decided to go. It sounded like Taya might be looking for someone to take her mind ff her recent break-up as well. Maybe this was what both of them needed.

"Ah... ok. When?"

" _Why not now? And then you can tell me what dirty little name you used for me in your head before you knew my real name. Somehow I think I'm going to like it. I'll text you my address."_

"Do you live walking distance from campus?"

" _Yeah, about a twenty minute walk."_

"Cool. See you in twenty, then."

_It would get him out of his dorm room before his asshole ex-friend came back. If there was one thing he was sure of, he wanted to avoid Sasuke as much as possible until the end of the semester. Then he'd be in Suna, and he could get away and start over._

_Naruto pulled on a tight black T-shirt, a pair of skinny jeans, and threw a burnt orange hoodie over it._

_He didn't know what to expect, but he packed a change of clothes, some condoms, and the essay he had to hand in for class the next morning and headed out._

_"I might not be home tonight... if I am it will be late so I'll be quiet," he said to Chouji and Neji who were still sitting on the couch. The two just nodded and Chouji waved._

_When the door closed behind him, Neji and Chouji looked at each other for a moment, having heard basically every word that Naruto had said on the phone. "So," Chouji began, not really sure he was jumping to the right conclusion. "The friend that spiked Naruto's drink to get him to have sex with him was a guy?"_

_Neji's eyes narrowed. He decided he probably needed to find out more about what exactly had happened. He also didn't like the sound of Naruto going off to spend the night potentially with some woman who didn't seem to even be a student and he barely knew her name. The blond seemed like a good kid, but a little inexperienced. Neji got the feeling that Naruto attracted people who wanted to use him and take advantage of him. He'd talk to Naruto when he got back and find out what was going on._

. . . .

Chouji snapped his attention back to Sasuke, who was still staring at him, waiting for Chouji to answer his question.

"Why do you think Naruto is spending the night somewhere off campus?" Sasuke repeated.

"Look, talk to Neji. I don't know where Naruto went," Chouji went back to looking at whatever was on his laptop, deciding Neji would be better equipped to handle a pissed off Sasuke.

Sasuke stared at him for a second in pure annoyance, but eventually went over to Neji's room, deciding that he wouldn't totally trust Chouji's assessment of the situation anyway. He bothered to knock this time, since he already knew that Naruto wouldn't be there and he needed Neji to talk to him.

"Come in," Neji answered, though his tone sounded annoyed.

"Chouji said that Naruto is out with an older woman off campus. What the hell is going on?"

Neji gave Sasuke a hard look. "This from the guy who told Naruto that he didn't even want to talk to him anymore?"

Sasuke let out a frustrated sound. "He said something that pissed me off. But that doesn't mean I want something bad to happen to him."

"He's a big boy. He can handle himself," Neji said. It was true in a sense. Naruto could certainly handle himself in a physical confrontation. It was the emotional side that worried Neji more, but he knew without a doubt that the person who was most dangerous to Naruto emotionally was the man fuming in his doorway.

"The idiot doesn't even have his phone with him if he runs into any trouble," Sasuke said, glaring at the broken phone on Naruto's dresser.

"He got a new phone," Neji said, watching as Sasuke whipped out his phone most likely to try to call the blond. "And a new number," Neji added.

"Do you have his new number?"

Neji just shrugged. "Whether I do or not, I'm not giving out other people's cell numbers without their permission. He changed it for a reason, I would expect."

Sasuke felt a pang, knowing that he was likely that reason. Or at least a big part of it.

He would just have to wait until Naruto was back. After all, they lived in the same suite. It wasn't like Naruto could avoid him indefinitely. Although it would be harder now that they weren't sharing a room. Sasuke thought back to what Itachi had said, about Naruto moving on. The thought made him itch.

"Why is Naruto sleeping in your room instead of his own?" Sasuke said, accusation clear in his voice.

"Because he said he would rather be with me than you."

Sasuke bristled at the not-so-subtle jab. "We had a fight. That doesn't mean we can't be roommates anymore."

"That's not what Naruto thought. He doesn't want to room with you anymore. He doesn't even want to be in the same dorm. Staying with me is only until his room transfer comes through."

Sasuke took a breath. If Naruto was straight, then his sleeping in Neji's room wouldn't matter. And as he had told Itachi, he was pretty sure Naruto _was_ straight, or he would have shown some interest before now.

"Whatever. Just don't harass him," Sasuke said, glaring at Neji. He knew what his suitemate was after. And it wasn't going to happen.

"Take your own advice, Uchiha." Neji dismissed Sasuke, focusing once more on the research paper he was writing. When Sasuke had left, closing the door none too gently behind him, Neji sighed. _What a pair of idiots._ He wasn't sure even himself if he was talking about Naruto and Sasuke, or himself and Sasuke. But either way, there was too much drama happening for his taste.

-xXx-

Naruto rang the bell at Apartment 2B, and smiled a little nervously at Taya when she answered the door. She was prettier in normal clothes and less makeup. She smiled at him and motioned for her to follow him in.

"Wow, you look a lot younger than I remember. Are you sure you're over eighteen?"

Naruto shifted slightly embarrassed. Taya actually looked bit older than he remembered, maybe closer to twenty-five. She was still extremely attractive, but Naruto felt a little awkward since she was clearly more sophisticated and experienced. "I'm eighteen. Thursday was actually my birthday."

He thought she paled a little bit at that, but she ran her eyes over him and just sighed. "Well, my friend came over, and he brought the stuff to make you an ID. He has a special printer and laminator. Let's get it made and go test it out."

. . . .

She took Naruto to a bar that was a few blocks from her place. Naruto felt a little nervous when he handed the bar tender his ID, the man clearly being skeptical, since Naruto had always looked young for his age. The name on the ID read Naruto Namikazi, because he had been told to use a fake surname in case it got confiscated, it would be harder to trace it back to him. But Taya's friend was pretty good and it looked legit; the bartender looked at it for a minute, then handed it back. Being a Sunday night, it wasn't super crowded, but it wasn't empty either. They sat at the bar, and ordered two beers.

The man handed them their beers, then shifted further down the bar to wait on other patrons.

Taya leaned in and whispered in Naruto's ear, "At least we know the ID works."

"Yeah... your friend is really good. I wish he'd let me pay him."

"Don't worry about it. He owed me."

Several of Taya's friends were already there, and Taya introduced Naruto as a friend she met at the party on Thursday. Two of the girls clearly had heard about it, and they looked Naruto up and down appreciatively. There were three couples and a few friends who had come stag. But it was clear it was a pretty close-knit group, and several of them seemed to work together, so most of the conversation tended to flow around stories of work or what they each had been up to over the weekend. Naruto felt his attention begin to drift.

Naruto looked over when an older man sat down next to him. He looked like he was in his upper twenties, or possibly even early thirties. It was a little hard to tell his age.  His hair was a deep red, almost magenta color. Naruto guessed it wasn't his natural shade.

He didn't know the man's name, but somehow he had the feeling that he had seen him before. He had the strangest eyes Naruto had ever seen, looking almost swirled white with violet. Naruto assumed they must be some sort of strange contact lens, though he wondered why anyone would wear such things when the look was so disconcerting and not particularly flattering.

"You seem a little young to be at the bar," the older man said with a small smirk. "And a little young to be with your date."

Naruto shrugged, feeling it was better to not address it in case this guy was an under cover cop. "You look familiar... have we met?"

The man hesitated, as if either trying to place his face, or trying to decide what to tell him.

"You're right. I think I remember seeing you at one of those writers workshops in Suna a year or so ago, wasn't it?"

Naruto thought back. The man had been one of the lecturers, but not in one of the sessions he had attended. He had not seen him up close, so had never noticed his eyes before. Was he a professor or something? Naruto wracked his brain trying to remember, but came up blank. He'd have to have been either a professor or a successful author to be faculty. "Yes, that must be it. Good to see you again."

The man smirked, clearly aware that Naruto didn't remember much about him. Naruto frowned, something more recent tugging at his memory. "Didn't I see you at a party on Thursday night?"

The man's face froze for just a second, then relaxed. "Maybe. It was a wild night for me... I don't remember much about it."

Naruto took a drink of his beer. He had kind of a strange feeling about the guy. He looked over, but Taya was still talking with one of her girlfriends.

"My name is Nagato," the man said.

"Naruto," he said, extending his hand to the older man, who took it in a firm handshake.

"Are you a student here?"

"Yes," Naruto answered, but didn't elaborate. He didn't want to slip up and say he was a freshman, or the guy would clearly know he was underaged. In fact, if the guy remembered much about him from that workshop last year, he was already screwed since he had attended as a senior in high school, and been pretty open about that fact.

"What are you studying?"

"Literature and creative writing."

"Hmm... this isn't the best school for that."

"I'm transferring next semester."

"Oh, really? Where are you transferring to?"

"Suna."

"What a coincidence. I actually live in Suna, but I'm just here doing some research for my work," Nagato glanced over at Naruto's friends, noticing that they were still talking amongst themselves. "You don't stay in the dorms?"

"Yeah, usually. But I'm having roommate troubles, so... thought I'd just stay out tonight a bit."

"Roommates. I remember those days," he picked up Naruto's phone from where it was resting on the bar and punched in some information. "Here is my phone, and my address here and in Suna. Feel free to drop by anytime, if you need a place to hang out."

"Seriously?"

"Hey, we writers need to stick together, right?"

Naruto made a mental note to ask the Pervert about this guy and see what he knew about him. Naruto brushed aside the niggles of discomfort that the man's proximity was giving him. He seemed like a nice enough guy.

"I'm actually having some friends over tomorrow night. Why don't you come by?"

Naruto hesitated. He really didn't know this guy. But he had met him last year at the workshop, so he had to be legit. Plus if he wanted to be a writer, it never hurt to have connections with other writers who could teach him the ropes, and maybe give him some advice. "Well, I have a paper I'm working on, so it depends on when I finish that up."

"Don't worry. Just come if you're up to it. It's casual."

Naruto relaxed a little when the guy seemed to not care either way. He suddenly noticed Taya tense beside him and looked over. A new couple had joined the group, and based on the way that the guy was eyeing Naruto hostilely, he assumed this was the recent ex.

One of Taya's friends mouthed 'sorry' to her, clearly seeing her friend's discomfort. The guy's new girlfriend was also younger, and pretty, but in Naruto's view a bit overblown.

The ex narrowed his eyes at Naruto.

"Who's he?"

Naruto simply snaked an arm around Taya's waist. "I'm Naruto. Who are you?" Neither man offered their hand.

The guy didn't even answer, but just glared at Taya. "Seriously, Taya? Is he even legal?"

Naruto felt someone leaning in, and heard Nagato's voice in his ear. "You are much more attractive than he is. You should take your hoodie off."

With that, the older man got up, paid his tab, and left.

Naruto thought it was a little weird for a guy so much older than him to make a comment like that, but he shrugged it off, along with his hoodie. He was wearing a tight black T-shirt underneath, and didn't miss the appreciative glance that the ex's new girlfriend gave him. Neither did her boyfriend, and he looked even more annoyed.

Naruto saw a small smile ghost across Taya's face. He decided he'd play it up a bit. He stood, facing Taya with his back to her friends and stretched up, knowing he was giving a good view of the muscles on his back through his T-shirt. He slowly lowered his arms so they rested on Taya's shoulders and leaned down to kiss her neck, whispering in a voice that was just loud enough for others to hear, "Hey, I can think of other things to do that would be more fun on a Sunday night than hanging out here. What do you say?"

Taya smirked at the flushed face of her ex, and ran a hand appreciatively over Naruto's tautly muscled arms. "Let's get outta here."

"Nice meeting you all," Naruto said, extending his comment to everyone. They all shook his had, except Taya's ex. Naruto grinned when he felt a piece of paper slip into his hand from the ex's new girlfriend.

When they got to Taya's car, he pulled out the paper and showed her. "I don't think their relationship is going to last very long." He ripped it up and threw it in a trash can before getting into her car.

"Thanks," she said. "He's been bringing her everywhere he knows I'm going to be since we split. It's... annoying."

"Well, I think you paid him back a little tonight. And she's no prize."

Taya tangled her fingers in Naruto's hair. "Why don't I pay you back, too, then?"

She took him back to her place.

The next morning, Naruto woke up as Taya got up to get ready for work. He showered quickly and raced off to class. He hadn't gotten much sleep, but it was the best he'd felt in days.

-xXx-

_to be continued_

ok, so probably you all see where this is going, right? DON'T TALK TO STRANGERS OR GIVE OUT DETAILED PERSONAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOURSELF. I think the next chapter will be the last chapter before he moves to Suna. If I keep him and Sasuke together much more, they are going to talk things out, and then the scene that I am driving them towards wouldn't happen.


	7. Don't drop the soap

-xXx-

Naruto set the large stack of books down on the 'return' cart in the library where he had been studying for the past three hours. He hadn't gotten as much done on the paper on Diseases in the Ancient World as he had meant to over the weekend, given all the emotional shit he had been dealing with. But he had made good progress today. He was enjoying his class on medical history more than he thought he would. He had only taken it since it was a class that satisfied both a science and history requirement. He loved a double win. But it had turned out to be really interesting. And a little scary. He was glad that - for example - the strain of syphilis today was not nearly as deadly as the ancient form of the disease. He was pretty sure that he would never have even considered pre-marital sex if this were still around in its original form.

He closed his laptop, having taken enough notes and references to be in decent shape. As he headed out of the library, he noticed a familiar figure walking towards him.

"Hey, Nagato. I didn't know you were on campus," Naruto said, again feeling a slight discomfort at the man's presence, but shaking it off as just tiredness.

"Yeah, I have permission to use the archives in the library for my project."

"What are you working on?"

Nagato just smiled. "I'm a bit secretive about my work, I'm afraid."

Naruto shrugged. He supposed many writers are afraid of their work getting stolen before it is published, so he didn't push it.

"Are you done with what you needed to do for the day?" Nagato asked casually. "I was just heading out, so if you want you could come over to my place and meet a few friends of mine who happen to be in town for a few days. We can all grab dinner."

Naruto hesitated, not sure how well he really knew this man aside from the fact that he had been faculty at an event at the same school where Jiraya taught. Which, when he thought about it, wasn't really the best character reference. But this was the second time that Nagato had mentioned coming over this evening, and Naruto didn't want to be rude.

"It would give you a chance to avoid your asshole roommate," Nagato said, a small smirk on his lips.

Naruto snorted, already feeling the scales tipping towards going. "Tell me about it."

Nagato looked very satisfied with that answer. "If it's that uncomfortable for you at your dorm, why don't you grab a change of clothes and hang out with us for the night. My place is right by campus. Actually closer to the library than your dorm is."

Naruto hesitated, but in the end the idea of not having to deal with whatever Sasuke was going to dish out to him over-rode any uncertainties he had about Nagato.

"Ok. You don't need to wait for me. I can just go back to my room, grab my stuff, then walk over. I don't want to hold you up if you have guests."

"They're very old friends. They won't mind. I'll come with you."

Naruto shrugged again, not really thinking about the fact that it was probably strange that Nagato seemed to know which dorm he lived in.

They chatted about various authors as they walked to Naruto's dorm. When they reached the suite, only Chouji was there. He looked curiously at Nagato.

"Hey, Chouji," Naruto casually greeted his roommate as he grabbed a glass of water from the kitchen. "Do you want anything?" he asked Nagato.

Nagato just shook his head. "We should get going."

"This is my friend, Nagato. Nagato, this is one of my roommates, Chouji."

They nodded to each other. Chouji watched with some curiosity as Nagato followed Naruto to his room while Naruto pulled out his dirty clothes from his backpack and stuffed some fresh clothes in.

"Bring enough for a few days if you'd like, just in case."

Naruto hesitated, then jammed a few more pieces of clothing in, along with some additional books. His backpack was bulging when he zipped it closed.

"I'm heading out. Tell Neji that I'll be gone for a few days."

"You're taking off in the middle of the week? You'll miss classes."

"Nah, I'll still go to class. Nagato just lives closer to the library and most of my classes."

Chouji frowned, knowing that this had more to do with Sasuke than proximity to the library, but he assumed the older man must be a family friend, so he didn't say anything.

"See you later, then," Chouji said simply.

"Later," and Naruto left with Nagato following.

. . . .

Sasuke got back to the room about an hour later. He found Chouji cooking dinner in the shared kitchen. He greeted his roommate with a silent nod, and headed to his room to study. He had already gathered from the silence in the suite that Naruto was not home. Of all the things he could say about Naruto, 'quiet' wasn't one of them.

"Hey, Sasuke..." Chouji started, his voice hesitant.

Sasuke paused, and turned to face the older boy. He raised an eyebrow, indicating the other should continue.

"Do you know a guy named Nagato? Dark red hair, weird eyes, looks like he is maybe around 30. Is he someone from where you and Naruto grew up?"

Sasuke frowned. "No. I've never heard of him. Why?"

"It's just... Naruto was here earlier with the guy," Chouji shifted uncomfortably.

"And?" Sasuke had a bad feeling about this, somehow.

"He told Naruto to pack things for a few days and that he would be staying with him."

Sasuke frowned. Why would Naruto be staying with an older guy he didn't know? "You seem worried. Was the guy acting strangely?"

"No. Not really. He seemed nice enough. It was more just they way he looked at Naruto that seemed... off."

Sasuke felt his stomach clench. "How did he look at him?"

Chouji seemed at a bit of a loss to describe it. "Just... really intensely. He just stared at Naruto. It freaked me out a little. But I figured he must be a family friend or something, and maybe was just worried about Naruto because he's been so upset since..." Chouji trailed off, not really wanting to get involved there. "I'm sure it's fine, though. Naruto invited him in and seemed pretty comfortable about spending time at his place."

Sasuke didn't think that sounded fine. He went to his room and looked up the classes that he knew Naruto had signed up for, noting which building and rooms they were in. This was going on long enough. He wasn't going to let Naruto avoid him for the rest of the semester. He wanted to know how much of what Naruto had said was a misunderstanding, and how much was real. And he was going to fucking find out.

. . .

Nagato drove them to his apartment, which was in fact very close to the library. It was in a luxury apartment building, at the very top floor. Naruto felt a little out of place as he entered, and realized that Nagato must either come from old money or be extremely successful as a writer. Though he wondered a bit why he hadn't found any books by the man when he'd checked him out on Amazon. Even the lamest books showed up there. But lame books wouldn't provide an income enough to get a place like this.

There were three men sitting in the living room when they walked in. They appeared to be playing poker, with a pile of cash in the middle of the table. They looked up as Naruto and Nagato entered the room, and Naruto felt a breath of nerves as all eyes latched onto him. Nagato cleared his throat, and the tension eased.

"I see you made yourselves at home," Nagato said dryly, eyeing the bottles of liquor and shot glasses that were on the table and kitchen counter. The three men ignored the comment. "This is Naruto. He is a student here. We ran into each other yesterday at a bar and I invited him over, since he's having some roommate troubles at the moment."

"I'm Deidara, hn. Grab a seat. We can deal you in, yeah?" The man looked only slightly older than Naruto, with long blond hair and pale blue eyes. He was dressed in black jeans and a black tank top that was cut short to reveal his toned stomach and well defined arms.

"No, you guys finish your hand," Naruto said, nodding in greeting to Deidara as he set his bag down and took off his shoes.

"I'm Zetsu," the second man had dyed green hair and yellowish hazel eyes. Naruto had no sense of whether he was closer to Nagato's age or his own. He had a bag of dried green leaves next to him on the table, and Naruto didn't need to guess what it was. There was a book of rolling papers right next to the bag, and a joint dangling from his lips. He blew out the heavy scented smoke, and snickered. "Come on, come on... you should totally join us and hang out. Sit down, relax, loosen up."

"Shut the fuck up, Zetsu. You've been fucking babbling all fucking afternoon. Stop smoking that shit. It makes you even more annoying than usual, you stoned pussy." The third man there looked to be in his mid twenties, and was - aside from Sasuke - possibly the sexiest man that Naruto had met in person. He was wearing tight black pants and no shirt, with a leather choker around his neck. His hair was dyed a silver grey, and his eyes were a reddish brown. And his body was... fucking cut. Naruto wondered what this guy could possibly do for a living. Stripper? Hit man? Poet?

"That's Hidan," Nagato said.

"Whatever. You joining us blondie?" Hidan looked over at Nagato. "So what's the story with the kid, Nagato? Is he off limits? He's fucking hot."

"You know that I'm standing right here, with two perfectly functional ears, right jerk-off?" Naruto said, feeling more than a little annoyed at clearly being read as Nagato's boy toy. "And whether or not I'm dating someone right now, I have no interest in sticking my dick in your ass."

"Blondie's got attitude," Hidan said, smirking. "Hot. But if anyone's dick is going anywhere, it's _my_ dick in _your_ ass."

Deidara stood. "Hidan, come help me in the kitchen."

"Fuck you. I'm not going to cook for you."

"Hidan," Nagato growled. Hidan rolled his eyes but left with Deidara, and Nagato turned apologetically to Naruto. "Sorry about that. I didn't know Hidan would be here. He's a good enough guy, but a bit rough around the edges. He won't give you any trouble."

Naruto shrugged. If Hidan decided to give him trouble, he'd give some right back. Patience was not one of his virtues right now. Nagato had walked over to a small wet bar that was set up in the corner of the living room, and was already in the bar area pouring himself a drink. "What's your poison?" He asked Naruto.

"Rum and coke is fine, if you have it."

Nagato nodded and made the drink, handing it to Naruto just as Deidara and a slightly subdued Hidan came back in the room. Naruto felt Hidan's eyes on him, and simply turned and raised one eyebrow. He was sure he didn't pull it off as well as Sasuke could have, but he was not going to be intimidated by the older man. Hidan smirked appreciatively, but surprisingly kept quiet.

Deidara shuffled the deck and dealt a fresh hand. "Hey, guys. I... um... don't really have a lot of free cash for this kind of thing," Naruto said, trying to not sound embarrassed. I mean, he was a student, right? Most students had basically no money. There was nothing to be ashamed of. These guys were all older and presumably had finished with school (if they had ever gone).

"I'll spot you, blondie," Hidan said, ignoring Nagato's glare.

Zetsu pulled out a big, glass bong, its base already filled with murky water, and proceeded to fill the bowl with weed. "Alright. So, Naruto, you ever smoke? I have the best shit... I grow it myself."

Zetsu proceeded to explain the benefits of bong smoking vs joint smoking, and the importance of the quality of the herb.

...

Much later that night, Deidara and Nagato stood looking down at Naruto where he was sleeping, passed out on the couch. They had made sure Hidan had gone to bed before they left him alone.

"So, that's the one, yeah? He looks just like the picture you have of his dad."

"I know," Nagato said, staring at the picture on his phone he had taken of Naruto sleeping on his couch. His voice lowered to an almost reverent whisper, "He looks almost _exactly_ like him."

Nagato thought briefly how a year ago, he would never have been able to be this close to the boy. Naruto's friendship with the Uchiha had seemed unbreakable, and there had been no opportunity to draw him in. Naruto may not have had a family to protect him, but his relationship with Sasuke had been just as binding, and had made it almost impossible to get close to the blond. But now that relationship was gone, leaving Naruto alone and vulnerable. And Nagato was going to make sure that whatever it stayed broken. He pulled open Naruto's phone, and was glad to see so few names on the contact list. And no Uchiha.

-xXx-

The next day, Sasuke headed over to the biology building right after his economics class. He knew Naruto had a gap after his morning lecture, just like he did. And they were going to talk. The pit lecture room had several exits, so Sasuke decided the best bet was to just wait outside the main entrance to the building and catch Naruto on his way out. He arrived about five minutes before the end of class, and was leaning against the wall by the stairs when he saw a tall, red-headed man approaching him. The man was looking directly at him, and Sasuke noticed his eyes were a strange, lavender swirl and realized this must be the guy that Chouji had mentioned. The man walked over to him, his eyes hostile.

"You're waiting for Naruto, aren't you?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "I have no idea who you are, but what I do is no business of yours."

"He doesn't want to talk to you. Why do you think he's avoiding the dorms?"

"How do you know who I am? Why do you care about Naruto's personal business?"

Nagato smirked. "Naruto told me he was having roommate problems, and he described you to me. The overwhelming air of arrogance and the duck ass hair gave you away."

Naruto walked out of bio lecture, his head still pounding from the night before. Ino had looked at him worriedly, but he had brushed it off saying he was just tired. She had another class in the same building, so she had left him alone to race off to her next lecture. He wished he'd brought his sun glasses with him. But just as the thought flashed across his brain, he realized that he recognized the two men glaring at each other as he walked out of the building and into the cool, fall mid-morning sun.

"Sasuke... Nagato... what are you doing here? You two know each other?" Naruto asked, blood-shot eyes showing confusion.

"No," Sasuke said. "Naruto, who is hell is this guy?"

Sasuke had been instantly on edge, wondering what Nagato was doing outside of the biology building where Naruto had his lecture. Sasuke knew Naruto's schedule because they had registered together and he was his roommate. It didn't seem normal that this guy apparently also knew Naruto's schedule. Sasuke had been just about to ask him why when the blond had walked out and seen them.

"This is Nagato... he was faculty at a creative writing workshop I went to," Naruto didn't specify that it had been at a different school. It didn't matter anyway.

"Why does he know what class you have, and what is he doing here waiting for you?"

Naruto looked surprised, and turned to look questioningly at Nagato.

"You told me last night that you didn't want to be too hung over for your bio lecture first thing in the morning. I thought that you might need a coffee, so I stopped by to see if you want to grab one before the rest of your classes. I figured I owed you that much after Zetsu got you fucked up."

Naruto remembered mentioning he had a morning class, and supposed he might have said it was biology.

"I don't like this guy," Sasuke said to Naruto, keeping his eyes suspiciously on Nagato. "Why is a teacher out drinking with one of his students?"

"I'm not one of his students. He's not teaching any classes this semester. It was just a weekend workshop, and I wasn't even in his section. We met by chance off campus, and have just been hanging out. And I don't care if you don't like him. You don't need to hang out with him, do you?"

"Naruto, we need to talk," Sasuke said, his voice low and intent.

"Really? You know, I remember trying pretty hard to talk to you. For days. Actually for way longer than that. You've been blowing me off for a fucking _year_ , Sasuke. Now all of a sudden you want to talk? Just because I finally stopped trailing after you waiting for you to give a crap? _Fuck_ you, Sasuke. You want someone to talk to just look around." Naruto gestured to where there were at least four girls pausing as they exited the building to look at the attractive raven, casting coy looks at him. "You have plenty of takers. I'm just not one of them anymore."

With that, Naruto turned and walked away. Nagato gave Sasuke a very satisfied smirk, then followed.

-xXx-

Naruto had been at Nagato's for the past three nights, and he was exhausted. They had been up every night drinking, smoking, and talking, but Naruto still had classes and homework to keep on top of. Not to mention that yesterday Taya had texted him to meet her in the parking garage of her office building during her lunch break, which Naruto had thought was going to be to grab a quick lunch, but ended up in the back seat of her car. He was exhausted. He considered sleeping in his own bed tonight. Neji was studying in his room, but would probably be quiet. And more importantly, Neji's presence would likely keep Sasuke from seeking him out. It was clear that those two had issues with each other. Naruto hadn't spent a night in his room since Sasuke had returned after their major blow-out. In fact, he had managed to avoid even seeing Sasuke except for the one time where Nagato had strangely shown up.

Naruto had to do laundry anyway, since he was running out of clean clothes. He looked over at the clock and saw that he still had at least an hour before Sasuke would be back from his seminar. He ran a load of laundry down to the shared laundry room for their floor, and set it going. He came back and poured the water he'd set to boil over his cup ramen, and sat down on the couch while he waited the five minutes for the noodles to soften. He figured he'd have plenty of time to throw his laundry in the dryer and disappear into the safety of his and Neji's room before Sasuke got back.

Unfortunately for him, he fell asleep four minutes later.

. . . . .

Sasuke walked in to find Naruto asleep on the couch.

Naruto's head was resting on the armrest of the couch. He had removed his hoodie and the T-shirt he wore underneath was riding up slightly, showing a few bands of his taut abs. Sasuke could clearly see the purple marks along Naruto's collar bone, looking less than a day old, as well as light scratch marks on the back of his neck. He fought down the jealousy he felt at the sight, reminding himself of all the reasons he had to be annoyed at Naruto right now.

He sat down on the chair facing Naruto and sighed, running his fingers through his hair. He honestly didn't know what to do. Even if Naruto hadn't meant what he said about homosexuals being 'abnormal', he clearly was not interested in Sasuke in that way, and wasn't comfortable around him. And while Sasuke had a high degree of confidence in his own sex appeal, in the end, if Naruto was straight, he was straight.

He saw the shadows under Naruto's eyes, and felt a twinge of worry seep in. Naruto had always been careful to avoid trouble in the past. Now he seemed to be actively seeking it out. He had smelled the marijuana on Naruto the other day when he had caught him outside the biology building. And Naruto had looked hung over as well. What was he doing to himself? And why was he hanging around a group of seemingly much older people? It felt off.

But he knew that Naruto wouldn't accept him interfering. Things between them had just gotten so bad. He wondered if it was too late to fight for their friendship, and whether he honestly could handle being just friends with Naruto. He certainly didn't want to see him dating anyone else. What kind of friendship would that be?

He decided he'd wait until Naruto woke up and then try to talk with him.

Just then, Naruto's phone went off, playing "Thong Song".

Naruto jerked up and stared at his phone almost in horror for a second before he answered it, looking up at Sasuke and flushing slightly in embarrassment as he put the phone to his ear. Sasuke sat there, torn between amusement at Naruto's reaction and annoyance at what was likely to be the topic of the call.

"Oh my god... did you really change your ring tone on my phone to _this_?" The faint sound of female laughter reached Sasuke's ears from Naruto's phone.

"Shit, I'm changing it back. This makes me look like a total ass." Sasuke could hear a woman's voice, but he couldn't make out the words she was saying.

"Right now?" Naruto looked at his watch. "Ugh. I didn't mean to fall asleep. I haven't finished my laundry."

Another pause.

"Heh, yeah, that was crazy. But tonight I just..."

Sasuke watched as his friend's face slowly turned bright red.

"I don't think... is that even physically possible?"

A message flashed on the screen, and a photo appeared, which Naruto immediately closed, sending a panicked, embarrassed glance at Sasuke.

"Holy shit! Don't send pictures of yourself like that. What if I turned into some creep and forwarded it to your boss or something? Delete it!"

Sasuke could hear laughter again from the phone.

"Ok, ok... I'm coming," Naruto walked over to the door, pausing long enough to see that his ramen was completely ruined and turned to mush. With a regretful sigh, he threw it out, and pulled on his shoes, phone still to his ear. "Fine, but you'd better have food for me," and with that he hung up.

Sasuke scowled, watching as Naruto headed out for what was clearly a booty call. "Tch, don't you ever get tired?"

"Only tired of you, asshole."

-xXx-

Naruto got back after midnight, and since it was the middle of the week, everyone was asleep. He pulled his laundry out of the dryer, surprised that no one had gotten annoyed and dumped it on the floor, then collapsed into bed taking care to not wake up Neji. He was asleep within two minutes.

He woke up when he heard Neji getting ready for class. "Hey," Naruto said, cracking an eye open.

"Good to see you. I was starting to wonder if you had moved out."

"Nah, just hanging out with some new friends."

Neji looked at him consideringly. He didn't have a lot of time before his next class, but he didn't know when he'd see his roommate next. "How well do you know these new friends?"

Naruto smiled. "Not that well. I know, don't worry. I'm not going to get in over my head."

Neji wondered what Naruto meant by that. Instead of feeling reassured, the comment made him more nervous. Naruto clearly realized that there was something not right with the situation, but was staying in there anyway. Neji looked at the clock, and knew he had to leave or he'd be late.

"Just be careful."

Naruto nodded, then rolled over and went back to sleep as Neji left the room and closed the door. Naruto's first class wasn't until much later. He decided to sleep another hour or two, then go to the library. Sasuke had a lecture at the same time as Neji, and had already left for class, unaware that Naruto had even come home.

. . .

After his classes, Naruto was walking over to see Ino so they could work on their take-home test for bio lab. He would have had her meet him at the library, but she had a cold and didn't want to go out. He had managed to avoid Sora for the past two weeks except for the class they shared, and he hoped he wouldn't run into him. Given that he lived in the same dorm as Ino, it was a risk, but there wasn't much of a choice.

"Hey, fag. What's the matter? Too much of a woman to defend yourself?"

Naruto's blood froze as he heard the insult hurled, assuming it was at him. He looked over to where the voice had come from, and realized that it had been meant for someone else. Two guys were holding a slim, dark-haired male while the third assailant rained down blows on the boy. The four males were surrounded by a group of bystanders, who appeared to be watching in dismay. Naruto recognized the male that was being beaten, and dropped his bag to the ground and took off at a dead run towards the group.

_Sora._

"What the hell is wrong with you people? Someone go get an RA or call campus security!" Naruto shouted at the bystanders as he plunged into the ring of people. Many of the observers had their phones out to get the fight on video. But apparently no one had thought to intervene or call for help.

The one that had been pounding Sora looked up at Naruto and smirked. "What, you want a piece of this, too? Are you his little boyfriend?"

Naruto saw red. _This_ was why his life sucked. Because everyone was so fucking prejudice about sexual preference that he couldn't just be honest about who he liked. Because you risked not only rejection, but utter humiliation and being ostracized. He hated everyone there at that moment with every fiber in his being. Not just the three idiots who where beating the crap out of Sora, but the twenty others who just stood there and watched as though Sora somehow deserved it because he was gay.

Without further thought, he launched himself into the fray. The guy took a swing at Naruto when he saw his intent, but Naruto didn't even flinch as it caught him on the shoulder. His brain shut down as every drill and trick that Jiraya had taught him flooded back. He tackled the one that had been doing the most damage to Sora, landing on top of him and smashing his fist into the older boy's face repeatedly. When the guy's stunned partners realized what was happening and dropped Sora to come help their friend, Naruto lashed his foot out and caught one in the stomach, then stood and drove an elbow into the solar plexus of the other. The one he had been on top of stayed down, so the fight was now two-on-one. Naruto ignored the blow to his face as one managed to make contact, and pulled the man's arm and snapped the elbow forward with one sharp crack. The third boy stood there, seeing two of his friends on the ground in agony, and froze. Naruto had to use every ounce of self-control to not attack the remaining assailant. He heard sirens, and evidently so did the other boy. When the older boy made to run, Naruto grabbed him roughly and held on until the police came. At least someone had finally thought to call for help.

Campus security would have been easier, but evidently they had decided the fight was serious enough to call the real police. Naruto was surprised when he found himself cuffed and shoved against the police car.

"I didn't start it. They were beating the crap out of my friend because he was gay. No one was helping."

"We'll sort this all out down at the station," the officer said. Naruto heard another officer asking the crowd if anyone had captured the fight on video, and several stepped forward.

Naruto looked to his right, and saw the first guy that he had taken down also getting cuffed. The guy was crying, but shouting how his family was important and the police were going to be in trouble for arresting him.

"Hey, asshole," Naruto said, getting the guy's attention. "You hate gays, right? Well, you better make sure not to drop the soap where you're going. I bet they'd just _love_ to get a taste of your sorry virgin ass."

The guy blanched, then exploded. "All you fags are the same, always chasing after us normal guys and lusting after us. You're disgusting!"

Naruto laughed as the police opened the door to the back of the car and started maneuvering him in. "Dude, I would fuck a corpse before I'd fuck your ugly, prejudice ass. Don't flatter yourself. The only reason you'd get any in prison is because there's not much selection."

"Naruto!" Naruto's head snapped up as he saw Ino was standing there, watching him get arrested. He shrugged. He didn't care what happened. He didn't do anything that he would change if the same situation happened again. He had no faith that he'd be released, especially if it were true that at least one of the guys came from a connected family. He knew how these things worked. But he was so pissed off right now he just couldn't give a fuck. Even if the police let them go, Naruto was pretty damn sure that these guys would think twice before they did anything like this again.

"Go check on Sora," he shouted over to her as the cop closed the door.

. . .

Chouji was eating dinner for himself when he heard a frantic pounding on their door. He put down his chopsticks and went to answer it, just as both Sasuke and Neji poked their heads out of their rooms to see what all the banging was about. Ino burst in, almost in tears. "Is N-Neji here? I need to t-talk to him. It's an em-mergency."

Neji walked over, hearing her voice. "Ino, right? What's wrong?"

"Naruto's b-been arrested. You're p-pre-law, right? Can you help? It was t-totally not his fault. Some guys were b-beating up his friend Sora, just because he's g-gay, and no one was h-helping," Ino took a shuddering breath, forcing herself to stop crying. "Naruto was coming over to my place to work on our lab homework, and he saw them and he jumped into the fight to help Sora, even though they haven't talked since his birthday, and he put one of the guys in the hospital, but someone called the police instead of campus security, and Naruto got arrested, and one of the guys comes from a really wealthy family, and Naruto told him he'd rather fuck a corpse than him, and -"

Neji put his arms on Ino's shoulder and shook her slightly. "Stop. Breathe. Slow down, and tell me what happened step by step."

Sasuke didn't miss the sharp glance between Chouji and Neji when Ino had babbled the part about Naruto not talking to Sora since his birthday. He didn't need to be a rocket scientist to put two and two together, and he felt his blood slowly begin to boil. One of Naruto's friends had basically date raped him. No wonder Naruto had been so freaked out about everything the next morning. Sasuke's hands balled into fists. Only Naruto would have still come to someone's defense after they had done something like that to him. As far as Sasuke was concerned, that Sora fucker had gotten off lightly.

"Ino," Sasuke asked, trying to keep his voice casual. "What was Sora's family name again?"

He knew that Neji would handle Naruto's legal situation. Sasuke was going to handle Sora.

-xXx-

_to be continued_


	8. Separated

**Author's note: OMFG this story was stolen!** Two of my readers found this posted on anoter site with a title change, and the names of Sasuke and Naruto swapped out for Ichigo and Grimm. I can't believe it. If you see any of my stuff stolen, please let me know. I mean, we don't make any money on this site, so everyone should just write their own stuff!

-xXx-

Naruto sat on the metal bench in the holding cell, resting his elbows on his knees and letting his head drop down into his hands. Luckily, the police had separated him and the other two boys from the fight into different cells. The third was at the hospital with a broken elbow. Naruto had given his statement to the police, and was just waiting now to find out what was going to happen. Reality was starting to sink in, and he'd be lying if he didn't admit he felt a little queasy.

The blond blew out a slow breath, trying to take stock of everything. He felt like he was caught in a mudslide. His life was just slipping downhill, but Naruto had nothing to hold on to to anchor himself. For so long, Sasuke had been his voice of reason, reigning Naruto in when he went off half cocked, or just providing something solid and permanent in his life when everything else, even his guardian, seemed transitory. Naruto knew he tended to be rash and impulsive, not always thinking things through. But Sasuke had always grounded him. He'd motivated him to achieve things when they were in high school. If Naruto wanted to stay with Sasuke, he knew had had to get good grades or he'd never get into the same college. So he had made himself study. If he wanted to keep living in Konoha to finish high school with his friend, he had to not get placed in a new foster home, which had meant keeping his nose clean enough that Jiraya's crap guardianship didn't get questioned. So he had avoided trouble.

But now, Naruto had no reason for doing anything. He knew he wanted to be a writer, but honestly most of the best writers didn't go to school to learn about it. They learned through life experience, and then wrote about it. So from a career perspective, there was no real benefit to working hard in college and getting good grades. It was more of a habit that had been drilled into him by Sasuke.

And there was no one who was going to be disappointed, or even probably really notice that he was going completely off the deep end with his life. Ino was his friend, but she had a boyfriend and many other friends that she cared about. Kiba was back in Konoha, and they had lost touch a bit with Naruto going to college and Kiba staying behind. Sasuke and Sora were out of his life, at least for the near term, and Jiraya had never really paid much attention even when Naruto was young. Why would he start now that Naruto was an adult?

But of course, Naruto knew in a way that line of thinking was a cop out. The one in charge of his life was _him_ , not all these other people. So if his life was fucked up, it was his fault. But right now, Naruto just didn't want to _think_. He wanted to just live in the moment and shut out his painful past and uncertainties about his future. His future as a writer would be hard, and he knew it would take both talent and luck to make a living at it. But it was the first time in his life that had actually aspired to accomplish something specific on his own, and somehow he knew that this was the path he was meant to follow eventually. He knew that drugs and drinking and casual sex were not going to solve any of his problems. In fact, they were likely to make them worse in the long run. But they were letting him forget temporarily and avoid the feeling of loneliness that seemed to consume him. He just needed to get out from underneath the crushing weight of all the emptiness in his life right now.

A small voice in the back of his head quietly hoped he didn't sink so far that there would be no turning back.

Naruto looked up as he heard a key turn in the lock to the holding cell, and saw a guard unlocking the door.

"You're being released."

Naruto was frozen for a moment, sure he was mishearing the man. He didn't have money for an attorney, and when he had tried to call Jiraya, no one had answered. He had never been arrested before, but he was pretty sure that you don't usually get let go in less than three hours unless you have an expensive lawyer pulling some serious strings for you. And even then, it would be tight.

"Kid, you just going to sit there? Your friend is here to pick you up."

Naruto's heart surged. _Sasuke_. It had to be. No one else he knew had the kind of connections that the Uchihas did. Naruto had not expected his friend would come, but the sudden realization that he _had_ almost overwhelmed the blond, like something horribly wrong in his life had just been made right again.

A smile formed on the blond's face. If Sasuke was still coming to get him out of trouble, it meant he still cared. Whatever problems they might be having, whatever shitty things they had done and said to each other over the past year, Sasuke still gave a fuck about what happened to him. He quickly got up and followed the guard, almost running when they gave him back his personal belongings and told him his friend was waiting in the waiting area.

Throwing open the door, he looked around in confusion for a moment before he realized that Sasuke wasn't there.

"Naruto!" Ino threw her arms around Naruto. He closed his arms around her in an automatic response, his gaze falling on the more subdued brunette who stood behind her.

"Neji," Naruto said, connecting the dots on who got him released. He was careful to keep only gratitude on his face, not letting the crippling disappointment show that it had not been Sasuke.

"Let's get you home," Neji said, letting Ino fuss over Naruto.

"How did you even know I was here?" Naruto asked as they headed out to Neji's car.

"Ino came and told Sasuke and me about it right after it happened."

Neji was inserting his key into the ignition, and didn't notice the flash of hurt across Naruto's face. Sasuke had known, and he hadn't even bothered to come. This was more than just missing a birthday. Naruto had been in fucking jail - in real trouble that would affect his future - and Sasuke still hadn't even cared enough to come. Naruto had known Ino and Neji for three fucking months and they had come right away.

Naruto swallowed. _I guess this is really it. Sasuke and I are... done._

He really wished he could go get a drink. He didn't want to feel this. He just wanted to drown out the years of friendship and love he felt for Sasuke. Maybe eventually he'd get to a place where he'd be able to move on.

-xXx-

Sasuke leaned casually on the desk at the nurse's station. The young nurse looked up at him, blushing and clearly enamored. Sasuke smiled slightly, well aware of the effect he was having on the older woman. This wasn't going to be a problem.

"I understand doctor patient confidentiality. I would never ask you to violate that. I just really wanted to know how my friend Sora was doing, and whether he'd be released soon."

The nurse giggled under the implied praise. "Well, I guess since you're his friend, it wouldn't hurt to tell you the basics. He's fine, just a few bumps and bruises. He'll be released in an hour or two. It would have been even sooner, but the police are with him and he is filling out a report."

Sasuke thanked her, and turned and walked out of the hospital. He knew which dorm Sora stayed in. It wouldn't be hard to find out which room. Sasuke knew it would be stupid to confront the boy in the hospital, especially with the police here. So he'd wait by Sora's dorm until he got back. His injuries weren't that serious. Sasuke was considering changing that. He walked over to a coffee shop to kill an hour or so.

. . . .

Sora noticed someone leaning against his door as he walked down the hall to his room. His body ached a bit, but it was not too bad. He planned on taking a quick shower, then going over to find out what happened to Naruto. Hopefully Ino or Naruto's roommates would know. After everything that had happened, Sora was feeling sick with guilt that Naruto had gotten arrested for helping him out.

Sasuke levered himself away from the door as Sora approached.

"Sora?"

"Yeah. Who the fuck are you?" Sora didn't recognize Sasuke, and was hoping he wasn't a friend of the three Neanderthals who had jumped him earlier.

"I'm a friend of Naruto's."

Sora hesitated. "I've never seen you. And I've spent a lot of time with Naruto. What's your name?"

"I don't care how much time you spent with Naruto. You haven't known him long enough to think you know everyone who is important in his life."

Sora looked consideringly at the raven, quickly connecting the dots. "You must be Sasuke." He felt a sinking feeling as he looked at the other boy, the intensity and beauty of him almost unreal. If this was what he was up against, he didn't stand a chance of winning Naruto. He felt the last fragments of hope at reviving that relationship disintegrate.

Sora took out his key and opened the door to his room. As usual, his roommate was out. For once, Sora wished that he wasn't. He could see the anger bubbling in the man before him, and wondered if it would be a better idea to talk in the hallway where there would be witnesses.

"I know what you did to him. You're lucky he didn't press charges," Sasuke's voice was flat and lethal.

On second thought, Sora decided this conversation was better had in private.

"He told you?" Sora couldn't keep the regret out of his voice. This was the man Naruto loved. They must have come to some sort of understanding if Sasuke was here defending Naruto.

"He didn't have to. I figured it out. You're lucky you're already hurt."

"Look, don't you think I don't already regret what happened? I really liked Naruto. I only wanted... and now he won't even talk to me. We're not even friends anymore."

"You think just because you like someone you have the right to do that? You're an ass. You have no idea the damage you did with this."

"If you want to talk about who damaged Naruto, why not try looking at yourself in the mirror. Why do you think he even wanted to go to that party on his birthday? Who do you think made him feel like such shit that he wanted to just drown himself?" Sora hated thinking about it. Knowing that he had been always second best to Sasuke, even when Sasuke had treated Naruto like shit and not accepted him for who he was. And now evidently things were better between them, and Naruto would probably never even speak with Sora again. He knew he'd messed up, but it didn't seem fair.

"That doesn't give you an excuse to do what you did. You knew he didn't want you," Sasuke's tone was dripping with contempt and derision. Already feeling emotionally raw, Sora snapped.

"What... mad that I got there first? You wanted to be the one?" The second the words were out of his mouth, he knew he shouldn't have said them. On so many levels. But before he could even apologize, Sasuke's fist connected with his face and Sora was flying across the room and hit the wall hard.

Sora put his hand experimentally to his jaw, checking to see if it was broken. "I guess I deserved that."

"You deserve a hell of a lot more than that. Don't ever come near him again, or I will be more than happy to give it to you," Sasuke stared down at Sora, feeling the almost overwhelming urge to pick the boy up and pound his face through the wall. The intent must have been clear, because Sora stayed absolutely still, as if waiting for the next blow to fall.

Sasuke turned and walked out, not bothering to close the door behind him. He couldn't believe this guy had given Naruto drugs just to have sex with him. Sasuke couldn't imagine how Naruto felt. It would be bad enough under any circumstances to have a friend betray you like that, but Naruto wasn't even gay. He must have been so revolted at the memories. He remembered how upset Naruto had been the morning after. This would only make it even less likely that Naruto would ever consider anything with Sasuke.

Why hadn't Naruto told him? It ate into Sasuke that something like this had happened to his friend and Naruto had not felt like he could tell him about it. They had always told each other everything. And while the last year had been strained, something of this magnitude should have broken through. He couldn't just let their friendship end like this.

He suddenly felt an almost urgent need to get back to the dorms. He couldn't place it, but somehow he knew that something was very wrong.

-xXx-

"Thanks," Naruto said, holding the ice pack against his face that Ino had brought over. They were back in their dorm room. The first thing Naruto had done was taken a shower, having heard too many stories of what kind of things lived in jail cells.

Neji had shown up less than thirty minutes after Naruto had been arrested. He had called his uncle on the way over, and asked the influential man to put in a call to the commissioner, quickly explaining the situation. They had arrived at the jail, and Neji proceeded to break down piece by piece to the police officer all the ways in which holding Naruto was not justified, and implying that there would be a suit if the police kept him overnight. The family attorneys for the other boys had been there, too, making similar arguments, but hadn't been as successful given the amount of evidence against the boys. Both Neji and Naruto agreed that it was unlikely that the boys would end up in jail for long, but they were both glad that at least it appeared they would be spending the night.

"I really owe you one, Neji."

Neji just shrugged. "Don't worry about it. They would have had to drop the charges eventually, given the evidence."

Naruto just looked at him. "Why would they drop the charges? I put one of those guys in the hospital, and broke the other guy's nose. People have the whole thing on video."

Neji smirked. "Exactly. They have evidence that it started as a hate crime against Sora because he is homosexual, and they show you stepping in to defend him and telling people to call for help. And they threw the first punch against you. Any one of those would get you acquitted. The only reason they even brought you in was because of who those guys were. They had to cover their asses."

Naruto shrugged. Neji seemed to have a lot more faith in the system then Naruto did. But he guessed that Neji was closer to Sasuke in the social strata, so his experiences had probably been a bit different from Naruto's. Ino returned with a fresh ice pack, and picked up her purse.

"Hey, it's getting pretty late. I think I'm going to head back to my dorm. Are you sure you're ok, Naruto?"

"Between your medical advice and Neji's legal advice, I think I'm pretty well set. I knew I was smart go have chosen you as friends. Pre-law and pre-med... can't go wrong," Naruto grinned, ignoring the pain in his cheek. "Seriously though, thanks Ino. I'd still be sitting on my ass in jail if you hadn't come to get Neji."

Ino smiled, and gave him one last hug. "You did the right thing, by the way. Those guys were assholes," she laughed. "And I loved how you put them in their place. It was awesome."

Naruto thought back, but couldn't remember the exchange exactly. "I dunno... I was just really pissed off. I can't really remember what I said."

"I'll send it to you. I got a video of the whole thing from someone who saw it from the beginning and lives on my floor."

Naruto frowned. "Saw it and did nothing, you mean."

Ino's smile faded. "Yeah. I heard about that. I didn't come down until I heard the sirens. I can't believe people just stood around watching someone get beat up."

"I can," Neji said, but didn't elaborate when Ino and Naruto just looked at him.

"Well anyway, I'll send you the video. You were awesome."

"See you, Ino."

Ino left, leaving Neji and Naruto alone.

Naruto sighed. "Those guys all come from fairly wealthy local families. I'm sure this isn't over. Those guys are going to get off with just a slap on the wrist, and I'll probably end up back in jail."

Neji just raised an eyebrow. "You really have no idea who _my_ family is, do you? If the police go after you on some trumped up charge, the will find themselves in a very public and difficult situation."

Naruto looked blankly at Neji, when there was a knock at the door. "Campus security, please open up."

Naruto sighed, and went and opened the door. "Are you Uzumaki Naruto?"

"Yes," Naruto already had a good idea what was coming next.

"This is a notification from the dean of the school that you are hereby expelled, effective immediately. You need to be out of the dorms tonight."

Neji came up behind him. "Does the _dean_ know that Naruto was cleared of all charges, and that all the evidence the police have points to the other three being the ones criminally at fault?"

The security officer just shrugged. "I don't know anything other than the message I was given to deliver. If you want to appeal the decision, you'll have to just take it up with the dean. I'll be back in three hours. You have to be off campus by then."

"Yeah, right. Thanks _officer_ ," Naruto said sarcastically, closing the door in the man's face.

"Naruto, I can help you appeal this. The dean is probably just friends with one of their fathers."

"Don't bother," Naruto sighed. Expulsion was not as clear-cut as jail. In the end, it would be at the dean's discretion. Naruto knew how this was going to play out. "I was going to transfer schools anyway. Things are just... not working out here. And I want to go to a school that is better for what I want to study."

Neji looked at him, understanding and disappointment showing.

Neji leaned down, gently brushing his lips across Naruto's. Naruto's eyes widened in shock, but he didn't pull away.

"If you're going to be bi, you really need to develop better gaydar," Neji said, a small bit of humor lighting his pale eyes.

"Shit, Neji..." Naruto didn't know what to say. He had liked Neji as a friend, and suddenly wished he had gotten to know him better. Not really knowing what else to do, he did what he wanted to and leaned forward and brushed his lips across Neji's, earning a slight smile from the older boy.

"Ah, well," Neji said. "I suppose it would have been hard to concentrate on my studies if you had stayed as my roommate and things had worked out."

Naruto blushed, and laughed. "Yeah... and... I really am not ready for a relationship right now, anyway. I'm a little messed up still trying to get closure on my feelings for someone else."

"Sasuke," Neji said astutely.

Naruto sighed and nodded. "It's a mess."

"You should talk to him. It might get less messy."

"Or it could get more bloody. He made his position clear. Until I can deal with that, I'm just going to stay away from him."

Neji held back on another sigh. It really was too bad Naruto was leaving. It was becoming increasingly clear that there were some serious miscommunications between his two roommates. As much as he liked Naruto, he had a feeling that it was nothing compared to what Sasuke and Naruto could have together if they just sorted themselves out. It was the reason he hadn't made a move on the blond. He didn't want to be in a relationship with someone who clearly was meant for another.

"Do you have a place to stay? I could loan you some money for a hotel for the night."

"No, you've done more than enough," Naruto pulled out his phone. "And honestly I have no idea when I'd be able to pay you back. I have a friend that I can stay with while I figure things out. Then I'll probably head home to Konoha and get things settled there."

Neji hesitated, then nodded. Right now, that was the immediate concern. Naruto had to be out of the dorms at least until they were able to fix things with the dean and the police. He held more optimism than the blond, and also knew that Naruto wouldn't want a semester's worth of tuition to be completely wasted. "Just be careful of that guy you're staying with, Naruto. Something just doesn't add up with him."

"I know. Right now I just don't have a lot of choices."

"Can't you call your family?"

"I called and left a message with my guardian. Haven't heard back. He's probably on a drunken binge, anyway. But he'll hopefully come get me in a day or two. It's temporary." Naruto wasn't entirely sure about that, but he hoped that at least Jiraya's teaching responsibilities would keep his outings somewhat shorter then they tended to be when he was between jobs, or over summer break. When he was younger, it would sometimes be months before he'd hear from his guardian.

He called Nagato, and the man said he'd be right over to collect Naruto and the few things he had of his in the dorms. Neji's words played in Naruto's head. Could he work things out with Sasuke? Even just to repair their friendship somewhat before he left. He knew they needed separation, but he would prefer if it wasn't a complete severance. Given what had happened today, though, it seemed like it was already too late. If anything, today had showed Naruto that it was likely final. If Sasuke cared so little that he didn't even stick around to find out what happened when he knew Naruto had been arrested... then there really was nothing left.

Neji saw Naruto glace at Sasuke's door, but didn't say anything. He understood why Sasuke had gone to see Sora, but he felt that revenge should have waited until after things had been sorted out with Naruto at the jail first. He hadn't missed the hurt in Naruto's eyes when he realized that Sasuke had known, and not been there. Neji had thought about telling Naruto where Sasuke went, but didn't want to make him more upset by worrying him about what was happening between Sasuke and Sora. And he hadn't realized that Naruto would leave before Sasuke got back to explain. He wondered where the hell Sasuke was, and what was taking him so long.

They heard a knocking on the door and knew Nagato had arrived, and it was time for Naruto to leave.

It took less than fifteen minutes to load everything into Nagato's car. Naruto turned and grabbed Neji in a bear hug, surprising the reserved older boy. "Thanks, Neji. Tell Chouji...  that I'll miss him, and was sorry I couldn't say goodbye."

Neji noted the omission of their third roommate's name. "Naruto, Sasuke wanted to go and talk to-"

"Don't," Naruto said, interrupting Neji. "Just don't make excuses for him. He made his choices. It shouldn't have surprised me. Don't worry... it's done."

Neji took a breath to try again, but Nagato was already starting the car. He called out the window, "Let's go Naruto. I left people waiting at the house."

"Call him, Naruto. Talk to him."

Naruto gave a small wave, and got in the car with Nagato.

Neji watched his roommate drive off. Somehow, he knew that Naruto wasn't coming back.

Nagato turned and looked at his passenger. "So, you want to tell me why you got expelled?"

Naruto leaned his head against the headrest, watching the streetlights go by. "Sure. Can I get a drink first?"

Nagato chuckled. "Always."

. . . .

It was not much later when Sasuke finally returned. Neji and Chouji were sitting on the couch talking when he walked in.

"Did they release Naruto?" Sasuke asked Neji, not bothering with small talk.

"Yeah. The police dropped the charges. There was too much evidence that he was not at fault."

Sasuke nodded, but the relief that he felt at the words was cut short when he took in Neji's somber tone. "So then...," another realization dawned on Sasuke. "... where's Naruto if he's out of jail?"

"Expelled."

"What?"

"One of those asshole's families is friendly with the dean. Naruto was expelled on the spot. Campus security came by and evicted him from the dorms."

"What the fuck? He wouldn't even have a place to go. They can't..." Sasuke stopped himself, realizing he sounded naïve. Of course they could. This was always how things had worked. As an Uchiha, he had been the beneficiary of it often enough, even though it pissed him off. Naruto had always been on the other end of the stick. Only this time, Sasuke hadn't been around to stand up for him. "Where is he?"

"Nagato came and picked him up. I assume they're going to his place, but I don't really know. He was upset that you weren't here when it was time to say goodbye." Sasuke's face had paled a little. The word sounded so... final. Neji continued. "He said something about going to Konoha until things get settled. I'm going to go see the dean in the morning and try to clear it up."

Sasuke's face hardened with resolve. "I'll join you."

Neji nodded. The Uchiha and Hyuuga names both carried a lot of weight. But neither was a local family, so it would be a toss up to see what happened.

"Did you see the video of the fight? Naruto was awesome," Chouji grinned, and earned a glare from Neji.

"No, I left just after I heard what had happened."

"I'll send you the link. Someone posted it on YouTube," Chouji said in a more subdued tone, glancing nervously at Neji.

"Where did you go?" Neji asked.

Sasuke shrugged. "Just tied up some loose ends."

"Are we going to get another roommate arrested tonight?"

Sasuke looked at Neji flatly. "I have more control than that."

"Really? Do you need a bandage for your hand?" Neji asked, glancing down at Sasuke's right hand. Sasuke looked down and saw some blood oozing from a gash on his knuckles from where his fist had connected with Sora's face.

Sasuke just narrowed his eyes, but he went to the bathroom to clean it up.

Neji and Chouji headed to their rooms. Sasuke went to the kitchen, making himself some tea, wishing he could just talk to Naruto. He wondered if he asked Neji for Naruto's number again, if he'd give it to him this time. He'd try in the morning.

How had things gotten so bad between them? His friend was in a major life crisis, and he didn't even consider turning to Sasuke for help. He hadn't even stuck around to say goodbye in person, though Sasuke knew that it hadn't exactly been optional to move out.

Sasuke went to his room and sat on his bed, staring at nothing for a few minutes. Slowly he went and took a shower, then got ready for bed. He opened the link that Chouji had sent him. He couldn't help but snicker at Naruto's words when he was up against the police car. Naruto had always had a mouth on him. Sasuke had missed it... missed the over-the-top comments the blond always made.

It was so like Naruto to help someone who didn't deserve it. Sasuke felt a flash of anger and jealousy at the thought of Sora. His words came back:

_"...mad that I got there first? You wanted to be the one?"_

Sasuke looked at the image of Naruto, his hands cuffed behind him, bent slightly forward over the hood of the police car with a cocky grin on his face. _Shit._ Sasuke looked at his lap in annoyance as he realized just how much he liked that screenshot.

_"...mad that I got there first? You wanted to be the one?"_

Yes, Sasuke did want to be the one. He laid back and closed his eyes, wishing Chouji wasn't in the room. He clenched his teeth, willing his erection to subside, still feeling the anger coursing through him at the thought of Naruto being with another man. _It wasn't really willingly_ , Sasuke reminded himself. _If Naruto were going to be with a man by his own choice, he'd be with me._ Sasuke was absolutely confident in that. They had been friends for so long. And Sasuke had never had anyone not return his interest. Aside from Naruto.

Sasuke lay there for over an hour, unable to fall asleep. Eventually giving up, Sasuke went to the bathroom. He started the shower, knowing that both his roommates were asleep and unlikely to be suspicious of his reasons for taking a second shower. He felt the hot water pounding over him. Slowly he closed his fingers over his arousal. The knowledge that Naruto had had sex with a man, and the image of Naruto in hand cuffs, grinning, were fused in his mind. He slowly pumped his fist over his erection, thinking of everything he wished he could be doing right now with Naruto. His hand was shaking as he imagined bending the blond over their couch with his hands shackled behind him. In his mind, he saw blue eyes looking over a tan shoulder, full of lust and wicked amusement as Sasuke pounded into him. He didn't last long, and came in a shuddering orgasm. He stood there in the shower, letting his blood cool and trying to not feel guilty for getting off at a time like this. He just didn't seem to have control over his thoughts or emotions right now, and it was an unfamiliar feeling for him.

When he came back to his room, he noticed he'd received a text. It was from a number he didn't recognize, but his pulse jumped at the thought of who it might be as he read it:

_Ssuke?_

_Fck I can't text._

_Rooms spinning._

_Ha ha._

_Asshole._

_Ur a fucking asshddddle._

_shit my finger slipped._

_I won't miss you._

_Jerk._

_Go fuck whoever soyuo want_

. . . . .

Nagato looked down at where Naruto had finally passed out on the couch. He had slowly gotten the entire story from the blond, after quite a few drinks.

Nagato couldn't believe his luck. In order to avoid paying rent on an empty apartment while he was in school, Naruto had put all his belongings into storage and moved out of his place in Konoha. Naruto had finally e-mailed Jiraya, only to find out that the man was spending the rest of the semester in New York doing some sort of 'research'. Naruto had said that it was more likely a student had filed a complaint against him, and he had been shipped off until things cooled down.

Now that he was kicked out of the dorms, the blond had no place to stay, and no one to help him. Nagato had offered to let Naruto stay with him in Suna until Naruto was able to move into the dorms at his new school, and Naruto had accepted. Nagato planned to move back to his place in Suna within the week. He was going to take no chances.

Naruto's phone chimed, indicating he had received a text. Nagato looked at the screen.

_Naruto? Is that you?_

A few seconds later, a second text came through.

_I'm sorry I wasn't here when you left_

_I had no idea they'd kick you out_

_Neji said you were upset_

_Are you ok?_

Another pause.

_I went to see Sora. I wanted to kick his ass for what he did_

_I really wish you had talked to me about it_

Pause.

_Naruto?_

_I'm going to go see the dean tomorrow with Neji_

_We're going to try to get your expulsion reversed_

_Naruto_

_Please call me_

_I really want to talk_

Nagato waited until the messages stopped. Then he went and deleted all of the received messages from the number Naruto had last texted, then blocked the number. He took the gamble that Naruto was unlikely to notice that a number was blocked on his phone.

He was so close. He wasn't going to let Sasuke back into Naruto's life. He wasn't going to let anyone take the blond away from him or make him suffer. Not after he had waited all these years.

-xXx-

_to be continued_

What's a college fic without a little drunken texting?

Anyway, the next chapter will contain the scene that gave birth to this entire fic, when Sasuke finds out that Naruto likes guys and he flips out.


	9. Very public revelations

**Author's note:** Ok, so here it is. Most of this was actually written before I posted this fic, and it was the scene that made me write the whole story in the first place. So now I am thinking, 'holy shit. what if no one else thinks this would be funny? And now everyone will think I am insane, and be really annoyed with me.' But... I am just posting it.

Anyway, this chapter shows us what Sasuke has been up to since Naruto left, and ends where he finds out about Naruto's sexuality. So we've reached our goal, so to speak, and now we can get to the part where things start to happen between these guys. FINALLY (no sex in this chapter... but you'll see we will get there quite quickly based on how this chapter ends).

-xXx-

"I can't believe that fucking asshole still won't let Naruto back on campus," Neji fumed. "Even with the police dropping all the charges."

Sasuke breathed out, trying to control his temper. "They've expelled all four of them, so they are trying to make it out like they were all on equal footing, even though the police report says differently. At least he said he'd let Naruto get incompletes for his courses rather than flat out failing. It will be up to his professors as to how they'll let him complete the work. Though it won't matter if he can't come back to finish the exams. Maybe the dean is planning on letting them all return next semester."

Neji snorted. "He must have found out that Naruto put in to transfer schools," Neji didn't notice that Sasuke had stopped walking. "So most likely the others will find themselves somehow reinstated next semester and Naruto will be somewhere else, and the dean will have gotten what he wanted without having to appear to be biased."

"When did Naruto say he was going to transfer schools?"

Neji shrugged. "I don't know when he put in for the transfer. He just mentioned it when he was leaving last night, and told me not to worry too much about what happens with the dean."

"What school is he transferring to?"

"He didn't say... I don't know if he was applying to just one or if there were a few of them. He said that things weren't working out here, and it wasn't really a great school for what he wanted to study anyway."

Sasuke just stood there, wondering why he felt so betrayed by this. He knew things had been bad between them. Naruto had already put in for a room transfer. But switching dorms and switching schools were two entirely different things. If Naruto were just in a different dorm, Sasuke would still see him. They'd still be together in college. But if Naruto were in another city entirely...

Sasuke knew that Naruto had only come to this school to be with him. Sasuke had chosen it because it was the best business school that was still in reasonable driving distance to Konoha, so he could see his brother and help out with the family business. It had been optimized to fit Sasuke's needs. And Sasuke had always assumed that Naruto would just follow him. Naruto had always followed him, ever since they had met. Even though they had hit a rough patch, how could Naruto just walk away? Didn't he realize they needed to stay together?

Neji pulled out his phone to call Naruto. "Who's this?... What are you doing with Naruto's phone?... When he wakes up, tell him to call Neji. Sasuke and I talked to the dean... No, but he will be allowed to have the classes listed as incompletes rather than fails... ok."

Neji hung up to find Sasuke looking at him.

"Naruto was asleep, but Nagato said he'd tell him," Neji said, sounding unconvinced.

"Who is this Nagato guy? Something is not right with him. He's almost twice Naruto's age. And what's he doing answering Naruto's phone?" Sasuke sounded annoyed.

Neji agreed. Neither boy liked the older man, and both felt there was something definitely off with the situation. But it was hard to know what to do about it. Right now, Nagato was definitely helping Naruto out, even if it came across as slightly weird and creepy.

Sasuke decided that before he confronted Naruto about it, he should have a bit more information on the guy. He went back to his room and started searching online. He didn't have a last name for Nagato, but quickly learned that there was no Nagato on faculty at the university, or in any creative writing department in Japan. He found that fairly worrisome.

After a bit more digging, he finally discovered that Nagato was the songwriter for a goth/punk group named Pain. He remembered that the group had been big for about a decade, but had been pretty quiet for the last two years with no new albums. He was familiar with some of their songs. There were in general dark and angry. He recalled a few that had been about watching the object of their desire from afar... sometimes referring to the person as the sun, and sometimes as an angel, but knowing they would never be together. Knowing that Nagato had written them somehow made them seem fairly ominous. If the songs represented what he was really thinking and feeling, it seemed clear that Nagato had a bit of a stalker personality. It sounded like Naruto wasn't the first person he had obsessed about. But there was no mention of him ever getting into trouble for it, so Sasuke hoped that meant Nagato wasn't a complete lunatic.

He spent the next few days searching online, and found out that Nagato had been born in Konoha and orphaned at the age of ten. But he wasn't able to find much else about him. It seemed like too much of a coincidence that this guy came from the same town as Naruto and appeared to be obsessed with him. But he was sure Naruto would have made a big deal about meeting the writer of Pain's lyrics back when they were in high school if it had happened. The group had been very popular, due not in small part to the sex appeal of the lead singer, Yahiko.

With the royalties from all the songs he'd written, Nagato had become a very wealthy man. But that was where the information that Sasuke had been able to find on Nagato ran out. The man evidently valued his privacy, and there wasn't much about his personal life on the internet.

He tried calling Naruto, and received a message that that the call could not be completed from the caller's current number. Sasuke had never received an error message like that when he'd tried to place a call. Had Naruto changed his number again? Or had he blocked Sasuke's number? Both possibilities annoyed him, but he couldn't quite bring himself to ask Neji if he were still able to get through to Naruto's cell.

Sasuke decided to call Kiba, assuming that Naruto would have contacted him when he went back to Konoha. While it had bothered him back in high school to see the two growing closer as he and Naruto had started to drift apart, Sasuke was now glad that there was at least someone he could call to find out what was happening with his friend. But he simply hit another dead end.

"He was only in town for two days?... Isn't he staying at his place?... What do you mean he moved out of his apartment when he left for college?... Yeah, I guess it would have been expensive to pay for both rent and tuition... I just am surprised he didn't ask me to help him move... I see, well I'm glad you were around to help... so you haven't heard from him since then?... shit... well, if he comes back, call me."

He finally fell back on his absolute last resort and looked up Sanin Jiraya. Worst. guardian. ever. A homeless guy on the street was more likely to know Naruto's current situation than that pervert, but Sasuke was desperate. The only reason Sasuke and Itachi had helped Naruto cover up the gross neglect from the man had been that if Naruto got placed in a different home, he might not go to the same school as Sasuke anymore. In retrospect, Sasuke wondered if that had been a good enough reason. It looked like the man had been teaching at a university in Suna, but had been abruptly transferred indefinitely to some undergraduate school in New York that had a teacher exchange program with Suna University. But there was no contact information for him. He e-mailed the university, but they simply told him they couldn't give out personal information about faculty.

Sasuke wondered if the reason his calls hadn't been going through to Naruto was that he had left the country to go stay with his guardian. If that were the case, he had no idea when he'd get a chance to talk to his friend. If Naruto had transferred to a school overseas, it might be years until he returned to Japan. And given that Naruto had no family and no strong friendship ties in Konoha, he might not return at all.

That thought shook Sasuke to his core.

. . . .

Sasuke had exhausted every possible lead to finding where Naruto had gone. None of their friends seemed to know anything. Naruto's teachers had said he had completed the papers and take-home exams for their courses by mail. He had stopped by to ask for the assignments the day after Sasuke and Neji had talked to the dean. For the two classes that would have required Naruto to sit in person for the exams, he had said he would just leave them as incompletes on his transcript.

Deciding that - for now - continuing to search for Naruto would be fruitless, Sasuke instead focused on his studies. He took a double course load in his spring semester, and tested out of several introductory level classes. By the end of his first year, he had completed more than two years of requirements towards his degree. He had been talking with Itachi about interning somewhere in the family business for the summer to get some actual experience under his belt.

They had agreed that Sasuke would spend this summer in Konoha working under Itachi at corporate head quarters. Itachi had suggested that - at the end of the summer, before classes started back up - they would visit their three branch offices in New York, Hong Kong, and Suna. Sasuke would then choose one to spend the next summer taking over the operations. If Sasuke could double down in his coursework again for the next two semesters, he could potentially graduate next year and spend a year or two running a part of the business before going to business school to get his MBA. Sasuke had been leaning towards choosing New York, hoping that he might run into Naruto there. But given that the city had over eight million people living it in, simply guessing that Naruto _might_ be in New York wasn't likely to lead to Sasuke actually finding him. He was hoping to find out something more concrete before making the choice.

. . .

It was only three weeks before classes resumed. Sasuke had spent the summer working with his brother getting primed to begin taking over a portion of the business next year. He had taken a night class from Konoha University while he was there, just to knock out another one of his requirements to ensure he could graduate ahead of schedule.

It was the weekend, and he was finishing up writing his final paper for the class.

Sasuke looked up as his phone started to go off. He read the caller ID and saw it was Sakura. He hadn't spoken to her since they had broken up, and he wasn't sure he wanted to start now. But he supposed he owed her at least the courtesy of taking a call from her.

"Sakura," he said, his tone flat.

" _Sasuke-kun! How have you been? I haven't seen you since last summer. It's too bad the three of us didn't end up going to the same college. I've missed you guys!"_

Sasuke found that a strange comment. Since when would she have missed Naruto?

"I'm fine. Why are you calling?"

" _Right to the point as always, hm? Ok_ , w _ell, um... I was wondering... do you happen to have Naruto-kun's number?"_

Naruto _-kun?_ Why was Sakura starting calling him that? Sasuke found himself mildly annoyed at the sound of it. "Why do you want Naruto's number? Usually you try to avoid talking to him whenever possible."

" _Oh, right. Well, I have to admit I was probably a bit rude to him back in high school. But that was ages ago. I mean... wow, he's sure changed. I'm sure he has so many girls calling him now. Well, and guys, too. Heh, heh. I had no idea he was bi. But, I guess our school was pretty conservative, so I'm not surprised he didn't say anything. But... God, he looked amazing in that video, don't you think? Did he really... you know... with Yahiko? I mean it looked like it, but I just can't believe that Naruto would actually do that. I mean... he always seemed so sweet and kind of innocent and..."_

"Sakura, what are you talking about?"

_"The video? 'Fallen Angel', by Pain? Are you serious? I can't believe you haven't seen it."_

"Why would I be watching music videos from some 'has been' band?" Sasuke recognized the name of the band Nagato wrote for, and didn't like where this seemed to be heading.

_"Are you kidding? The album hasn't even been released yet and the song is already top of the charts. The video came out a week ago and was banned instantly for sexual content. Which, of course, made it the most downloaded music video of the summer. It was all over the news, because of the scandal of Yahiko making out with a boy, and one that looked to be so much younger than him. Naruto seriously didn't tell you about it?"_

"We... haven't talked for a while. So you're telling me that Naruto is in a music video having sex with the lead singer of the band?"

" _Well, people are arguing over whether they actually had sex on camera, or it just really looked like maybe they did. I mean, obviously they couldn't show everything. But it doesn't matter if it was real or not, because they were just so unbelievably hot! I never knew that watching two guys go at it could be such a turn-on... and I'm not even gay! Or male... I dunno, I can't really explain it, but... anyway, do you have Naruto's number? I figure even if he won't go out with me, his boyfriend Sai looked pretty amazing, too. Or maybe I could just come over and watch them... hang out. Or whatever."_

Sasuke was trying to get his head around this new perverted, voyeuristic version of Sakura, at the same time he was trying to process what she was saying about Naruto. _"_ His _boyfriend_?"

" _Jeez, Sasuke. I was calling you to get more information, but you don't seem to know anything at all! What kind of best friend are you?"_

Sasuke's jaw clenched at the surely unintentional jab. But Sakura, oblivious to the truth of what she had just said, was already continuing.

"Anyway, o _ne of the local news channels did some exposé on the 'mystery lover' from the video, and they tracked Naruto down to Suna and interviewed him. It was the hottest thing ever, despite the interviewer being a judgmental bitch. I'll send you the links. I can't believe you really don't know anything about this. I totally should have called Shikamaru first. He went to school in Suna, right? Maybe he's in touch with Naruto and knows more about what's going on. So are you going to give me Naruto's phone number or what?"_

"I don't have it," Sasuke gritted out, and hung up.

His phone chimed almost immediately. It was a text from Sakura with two links, followed by _You're such an ass._

Sasuke ignored her comment, and clicked the first link.

A music video began to play. The music was actually decent, if you were into that genre... it was dark but compelling. If Sasuke had been able to pay attention to the lyrics, he would have found that it told a story about a boy who had lost his family and friends, and was drown in a world of drugs and alcohol, but was loved by one person who joined him in the darkness, who had felt his pain and would look over him. But Sasuke could barely remember the words or the story of the song. He was transfixed by the images of the boy the story appeared to be about.

The video started as they usually did, with a clip of the band playing. Then the lyrics started, with a close-up of Yahiko's face, his eyes intense as though signing directly to the viewer. But it was the images that were spliced into the scene that Sasuke found himself staring at. They started out with one of Naruto wearing his high school uniform, his pack slung over his shoulder and smiling in the sunlight. It looked like it was taken about two blocks from their school. The second was one of him standing alone, wearing regular clothes, looking tired and lonely. Sasuke didn't recognize the location.

The next clip showed Naruto walking into a party, looking uncomfortable and slightly nervous. Sasuke frowned. Naruto was not much for acting... these didn't look particularly staged. Something about that was bothering him, but the video was continuing.

The still shots ended and the scene shifted to a video which appeared to be shot in some sort of club where the band Pain was playing. Naruto was at the bar, and Yahiko singing on stage, staring at the blond. It shifted to a scene of Yahiko buying him drinks when the band had finished their set. As the video progressed, it showed Yahiko pulling Naruto into a back room, and kissing him. And Naruto kissing him back. Hard. They zoomed in on the mouths of the two men kissing.

Tongue fucking each other's mouths would have been more accurate. You could clearly see the metal stud in each of their tongues. Wait...

_When did Naruto get his tongue pierced?_

Sasuke tried to shut off the implications of exactly why men got their tongues pierced.

Yahiko pulled off Naruto's shirt, looking directly into the camera and smirking. The camera zoomed in on Yahiko's hand running over Naruto's tan shoulders, then chest, then chiseled abs, then..

_What the hell, is that a tattoo?_

Sasuke felt his brain short-circuit a bit as he saw the new tattoo his friend was sporting on his stomach. It looked... really good.

Scenes faded in and out, but there were lots of cut scenes of bodies pressed together, and up against walls and chairs, and it was a little hard to make out exactly what was happening, but they certainly weren't playing bridge.

The final scene was of Yahiko and Naruto, apparently naked in bed (and the bed looked a little like a medieval torture device), though the sheets covered their lower halves. Naruto appeared to be sleeping, and Yahiko was gently stroking his hair, as the song ended on a note of obsession and being together forever in hell.

_Fucking emo punk band._

Sasuke took a deep breath. He was trying not to read too much into it. The fact that Naruto was in a video with the guy did not mean they had actually had sex. Or that they were in any sort of relationship. If musicians were in relationships with every person the appeared to have sex with in their music videos, the polygamy laws would have spontaneously combusted long ago.

But... parts of it had looked very real. Very, very real. And while Yahiko was clearly aware of the cameras, Naruto didn't seem to have been. And Naruto had never had any acting ability whatsoever. Their school plays in middle school had proven that out quite clearly.

Whatever Sasuke had thought about Naruto's sexuality in the past, there was no way a straight man would kiss another man like that. Especially not Naruto.

But that was impossible. Sasuke had been sharing a dorm room with Naruto for half a semester. And for _years_ before that, they had shared a bed during sleepovers. There was no way. Just no _fucking way_ Naruto would have not made a move on Sasuke if he were gay. Or bi.

They were best friends, so it certainly wasn't a question of liking each other. And in terms of attraction... even the cadavers in the med lab had tried to hit on Sasuke the one time he had passed through, looking for Ino. Like some bizarre reverse necrophilia. It was just _not possible_ that Naruto was not interested.

So what the hell was he doing with some _other_ _guy_?

Sasuke glared at the thumbnail of the video, which showed Naruto and Yahiko kissing.

When it didn't cease to exist as he had hoped, he masochistically clicked the second link.

It was the link to a broadcast excerpt from one of the local news channels. The station was known for its social conservatism and extremely parochial view of politics and world events. Sasuke and Itachi sometimes would watch it when they were bored, heckling the commentators like a current events version of Mystery Science Theater 3000, but without the robots.

" _... clearly just a ploy for the band to gain publicity for its new album that is coming out this fall. There was an immediate uproar because of the homosexual behavior shown in the video, and also because the young man involved appeared to be significantly younger than the musician."_

_"We've recently learned that the person shown performing sexual acts with the lead singer of Pain is actually a Konoha native. Our correspondent is in Suna now, where she has tracked him down to the apartment where he is living."_

The video cut to where the reporter had presumably signaled that she had successfully found her interview target.

Naruto stood in the doorway of a small, two-story house, squinting slightly as his eyes adjusted to the light from the hot summer sun. He was shirtless, wearing only a pair of jeans. His bronzed skin was sheened with sweat. The light hit him at such an angle that his skin was glistening, making each contour of the muscles of his arms and chest noticeable.

A female reporter, looking only slightly older than Naruto, stood in front of him holding a microphone.

"Are you Uzumaki Naruto?"

"Um… yeah?" Naruto looked confused and slightly uncomfortable, glancing between the reporter and the cameraman.

"Is it true that you had sexual intercourse with the lead singer of Pain in their latest music video?"

Naruto blinked, looking a bit shocked, "Wow, do you always start conversations this abruptly?" Naruto then shouted over his shoulder, "Fucking Sai! I am still going to kick your ass for that video, you bastard!"

Most of his sentence was censored out, but Sasuke could tell from Naruto's lip movements what he was saying.

The woman persisted, "So you admit to having a homosexual relationship with Yahiko, and performing sexual acts with him in their latest music video?"

Naruto rolled his eyes, "Look, if you want to know about Yahiko's sex life, you should go ask him. Or his publicist. They get paid to deal with shit like this. I'm just a student."

"What do your parents think about your flagrant public indecency, and your homosexuality?"

Sasuke's gut clenched, knowing that the question would sting his friend, no matter how long he had buried his loss of not having known his parents.

Naruto froze for a second, then casually reached his hands over his head, bracing them against the door frame as he looked at the young female interviewer holding a microphone. The position showcased his lean muscles even more, and Sasuke noted a slightly glazed look on the woman's face, despite her best attempts at remaining contemptuous.

"Ah… I'm pretty sure they don't give a fuck," Naruto said blithely. "Look, can my five minutes of fame be done now? I'm pretty sure there are, like, actual celebrities you could be out stalking. Like Yahiko. Go bug him. He's the asshole who pulled this stupid stunt in the first place."

"Well, I'm sure your parents are distraught about having such a son. I will be setting up an interview with them as soon as I get back to Konoha."

To Sasuke's surprise, Naruto snickered, "Well, that would be quite a feat for you, then, since they've been dead for like eighteen years and all. Tell them I say hi, though, if you manage it."

The woman was clearly taken aback. The last thing she wanted was for there to be anything sympathetic about the young man she was trying to paint as a social deviant.

She was definitely regretting doing this interview live. She would have much preferred to cut that last scene out.

Just then a pale arm slid around Naruto's waist, and a handsome, raven-haired man appeared from behind, equally bare-chested and sweaty. "Hey, let's go back inside. Things were just getting started when we were interrupted. You were bragging about your abilities with your 'equipment'... but you left before actually getting it out."

The woman gasped as the pale man's hand splayed over the blond's tan stomach and began to slide down. Naruto grabbed the wrist before it got below the hem of his jeans, rolling his eyes. "Sai, you sick, exhibitionistic bastard. Go back inside. And don't you dare finish off my brownies."

"Is this… is this man your gay lover? Do you live here together? In addition to being the gay lover of Yahiko?"

Naruto snickered at her socially awkward wording and stumbled slightly before tightening his grip on the doorframe and catching himself.

 _Oh, my god. Naruto's high as a kite_ , Sasuke realized, finally noting the overly large pupils.

"It's quite disturbing the level of interest you seem to have in Naruto's sex life." Sai stated. "If you like watching guy on guy action, I suggest purchasing some yaoi manga. It can be quite visually stimulating. Then you don't need to interrupt people when they are busy having actual sex," Sai grunted as Naruto elbowed him in the stomach.

"Naruto, Sai, what are you guys doing? Come back so we can finish up," a female voice called from inside.

By this time, the reporter's eyes were as round as saucers. "You two are… together… with a woman in there?"

Sai gave a creepy smile, "Yeah, we're having an orgy with my sister. I'd invite you to join but you're not nearly hot enough, and way too uptight to be any good in bed. I'd say sorry, but it wouldn't be sincere, and Naruto-kun has told me I need to work on the sincerity of my apologies."

Naruto was bent over double laughing. "Fuck, Sai. I can't believe you just said that. You really need to learn how to filter your perverted sense of humor. Now Temari's going to kick your ass."

"Perhaps you should seek counseling for your voyeurism," Sai was continuing to the increasingly flustered reporter. "Find something better to do with your time and curiosity." Sai turned back to Naruto. "Let's get back inside and get back to - "

"Sai, stop," a cold, flat male voice came from inside. The speaker emerged from the house. He was wearing black jeans and a black tank top, with dark eyeliner encircling his eyes and a tattoo on his forehead of a red Kanji. Sasuke couldn't quite make out what it was on the video. Unlike the other two, however, he didn't appear to be high. He looked at Sai. "I know you like making people uncomfortable. Especially up-tight, judgmental morons like her," he flicked a glace in the direction of the reporter, who visibly bristled. She would learn the hazards of live reporting the hard way, it would seem. "You might not care, but I doubt Naruto is going to love this video circulating around campus in the fall. Especially not after the other video you helped make."

He placed his hand on Sai's naked chest, and gave what appeared to be just a little push but Sai went flying backwards into the house. "Stay inside," the redhead said.

He then looked at Naruto, who was laughing uncontrollably. Naruto threw an arm around the redhead's shoulders, ignoring the death glare that was leveled at him for the act. "You are never allowed to eat baked goods that that green-haired freak Zetsu sends you. Not. Ever. Again."

The redhead, clearly a professional at icy glares, then shifted his green eyed gaze to the reporter. "Naruto is a private citizen, and this is private property. You will leave him alone, or I will have my attorneys file a restraining order against you. If you have any questions regarding the latest video from Pain, you should contact their agent. If you publish any lies about my friend, I will purchase whatever media company you work for and dismantle it piece by piece, whereby my first act will be to have you fired and blackballed from the industry. Do you understand?"

"Are you another of his boyfriends? What is the nature of your relationship? Are you –"

The redhead intensified his glare and raised one hairless eyebrow. The woman visibly paled, "S-Sorry," she began.

The man ignored her, and simply turned and walked back into the house, dragging a snickering Naruto with him and slamming the door.

The video clip ended.

Sasuke sat there for several minutes. He definitely had mixed feelings about what he had just seen. The fact that Naruto had suddenly decided he was gay, or at lest bi, was definitely something that Sasuke had been hoping for for a very long time.

What he had _not_ hoped for, or even considered as a possibility, was that this new sexual realization for Naruto had somehow been brought about by _other guys_.

Sasuke had waited for Naruto for _years._ If Naruto was into guys, then why the hell had he never made a move on Sasuke? It made no sense. When Sasuke went into gay clubs, he was hit on by literally every guy there. Tops, bottoms... the occasional straight guy looking to experiment, it didn't matter. They all propositioned him.

And now Naruto was out and apparently fucking every hot guy that crossed his path, except for Sasuke? OK, probably not all of them, but clearly at least some of them. The more Sasuke thought about it, the more pissed off he became.

But then another thought hit him. Could Naruto really have not realized what had happened when they had kissed? Had he somehow misinterpreted it?

Sasuke thought about at the man Naruto had called Sai. He felt a cold smile forming on his lips. So Naruto had gone out to find himself a look-alike? How unnecessary. He wondered if the man knew he was just a substitute. And the more he thought about it, the more he concluded that was exactly what it was. He decided it was time for the real thing to make an appearance, and see how Naruto and his imitation _boyfriend_ would react.

In a way, the reasons behind what had happened didn't matter. Naruto was gay. And Sasuke no longer had reason to hold back. He was going to make sure there could be absolutely no misinterpreting anything the next time he ran into Naruto.

Now he just needed to get things moving. He certainly couldn't do anything from where he was currently. He needed to go to Suna.

. . .

Despite it being Saturday, Itachi was down at his office. Sasuke headed over, not even bothering to call. He was surprised to see a woman waiting for the elevator when he got off at the top floor, where Itachi's office was. It was Saturday. There shouldn't be anyone in the office besides Itachi, and probably a security guard or two. She wasn't someone who worked there, Sasuke was certain. He had gotten to know everyone at headquarters. There didn't appear to be anyone else in the office.

She was petite, with dark, shoulder-length hair and intense, sparkling, dark eyes. A look of surprise flashed across her face at Sasuke's appearance, but was concealed immediately. She nodded politely, and continued towards the elevator. Sasuke let his curiosity pass, focused solely on his purpose for seeking out his brother. He stalked into his brother's office, "I'm transferring to Suna starting fall semester, and will also be taking over the business operations there. Suna has the advantage of having an excellent business school as well as our second largest base of operations. I will be calling the school on Monday to request special permission as a late transfer."

Itachi raised an amused brow, clearly indicating that he knew full well that all those reasons Sasuke had just rattled off had nothing to do with Sasuke's decision.

Sasuke belatedly noticed Itachi was buttoning up his shirt, his belt nowhere to be seen. Sasuke's mind instantly flashed back to the mysterious woman he had seen leaving a few minutes before. Was she...?

"I take it you finally found out about the video?"

Sasuke knew he was intentionally being distracted by his brother, but he found himself responding to the question nonetheless. "You _knew_?"

Itachi rolled his eyes. "There have been screenshots of your naked boyfriend all over the news for a week. I was actually starting to wonder if perhaps you had simply achieved emotional control beyond my expectations."

"You knew and you _didn't fucking tell me_?"

"Ah, I can see that my hypothesis about emotional control was wrong," Itachi said, his lips twitching up slightly at the corners. It wasn't necessarily they way he'd hoped this would be accomplished, but it was clear at least things were finally going to start moving in the right direction between those two. "Now, what was that you were telling me a while back? Something about 'if Naruto was even _slightly_ bi he would have been making a move on you'?"

"Go. to. hell."

"Let me guess... you'll be taking a trip to Suna shortly?" Itachi asked innocently.

At the predatory look in Sasuke's eyes, Itachi just sighed, and simply said, "Yes, I can see exactly how you plan on handling this. Well... don't forget to pack the lube."

-xXx-

_To be continued…_

Ok, so this was it. Um... tell me what you think? I just think predator!Sasuke is so funny. *bites nails*

Next chapter explains all the scenes from Naruto's life that you just saw from his perspective.  To be clear, though, he HAS NOT been fucking a house full of people. I know you probably all know that, but before I get any flame reviews about turning Naruto into Ke$ha or something, I just wanted to point that out. I mean, Sai doesn't even have a sister. We all know who Temari is, and if you haven't figured out who the redhead was, then shame on you. :-)


	10. Suna

-xXx-

They had stayed in Kohona just long enough for Naruto to empty his storage unit and say goodbye to Kiba. Naruto had thought about stopping in to say goodbye to Itachi, but he just couldn't do it. He didn't know how much Itachi knew about what was going on, but knowing Itachi he'd probably figured out most of it. And Naruto was just too embarrassed to tell the elder Uchiha that his friendship with Sasuke had ended because Naruto liked him as 'more than a friend'. He was pretty sure Itachi would have been cool with the idea in general, but he did tend to go a bit overboard on protecting his baby brother.

So in the end, they had loaded up the rest of Naruto's things and left for Suna.

Nagato's house in Suna was enormous. It was on the outskirts of the city but with a huge stone wall surrounding it, sporting a pool and a tennis court. Naruto wondered again where Nagato had made his money. It certainly was not from writing books.

The only problem with Nagato's place was that it wasn't walking distance from campus. Naruto bought a cheap bike so he could get around the city without having to bother Nagato or his friends for a ride everywhere. It was getting late into winter, so it was a little chilly but at least he wouldn't have to worry about rain much in Suna.

"I'm going to head to campus and make sure everything is ok with my transfer, and see if there is any word on my scholarship and whether or not that carried over."

"Are you sure you don't want me to drive you? I have time today. I could show you around," Nagato offered.

"Nah. Stuff at the administration office can take forever, and I'd feel like shit making you sit around for nothing. You are already helping me out by letting me stay with you. Maybe you could show me around tomorrow?"

Nagato shrugged, and didn't force it. Naruto threw his pack over his shoulder and headed out.

Nagato sat for a moment, looking at the closed door. He had been asking Naruto for a while to see his writings, but the boy was reluctant. Nagato had moved Naruto's things into one of the guest rooms, and had seen Naruto put away his notebooks in the drawer of the desk. Feeling only slightly guilty, Nagato went and pulled out the most recent volume. Writers always improved over time, so he decided he might as well start there. He still remembered the piece that Naruto had brought to the writers workshop a year ago. He wondered how Naruto had progressed since then.

. . . .

After three painful hours waiting in lines and talking to different people, Naruto was finally assured that his transfer had gone through, and he would still receive the tuition discount even though his godfather had been 'temporarily loaned' to another school.

Feeling satisfied with his accomplishment for the day, Naruto headed over to the student dining hall to get some coffee before he headed back through the cold to Nagato's. He was surprised to see a familiar profile seated at one of the tables. Or more accurately, slumped over sleeping at one of the tables. He'd recognize that pineapple ponytail anywhere.

Naruto grinned, walking over and dropping his pack loudly right next to brunette's head.

"Mpf... what the hell?" Shikamaru looked up sleepily, then his eyes widened in surprise. "Naruto! What are you doing in Suna?"

"Transferring. I just finished up at the administration office. I start here next semester."

"I thought you were going to school with Sasuke. Is he here, too?"

Naruto sighed, trying to push the weight of depression off at the mention of his erstwhile friend. "No. I got expelled for helping out a friend who was getting the crap beaten out of him."

"Troublesome," Shikamaru sighed. "I try to stay out of stuff like that. So, Sasuke just let you leave?"

Naruto shrugged. "There wasn't really anything he could have done. In any case, we'd just... drifted apart over the past year. He's into girls and business courses now. We didn't really spend much time together while I was there anyway."

Shikamaru heard the casual tone that Naruto was trying to adopt, but he wasn't fooled. He had seen the looks that Naruto had sent Sasuke when Sasuke wasn't looking. And vice versa. He had hoped that rooming together in college would have helped them figure it out, especially after Sasuke had broken up with Sakura. Evidently not. Shikamaru sighed. _I thought at least_ Uchiha _was supposed to be smart._

"What about you? I had forgotten you were coming here. What did you decide to major in?"

"I'm pre-law. Majoring in international relations and philosophy," Shikamaru said, sounding bored.

"Wow, that's awesome!"

"Where are you staying in Suna? You won't be able to move into the dorms until classes begin in the spring. And I heard Jiraya got caught with some co-ed from one of the courses he was teaching, and was shoved off somewhere else until it blows over."

"I'm staying with a guy I met at a creative writing workshop here a year or so ago. Nagato. He's some kind of writer, but he doesn't write books."

"He's write the lyrics for a group called Pain. They were huge a few years ago," Shikamaru said. Was there nothing this guy didn't know? Naruto had yet to discover it.

"Oh my god! I remember them. Yahiko was really hot," Naruto immediately blushed at his blurted out comment, realizing that Shikamaru probably didn't know he was bi. "Er... anyway, I was afraid to ask Nagato what he did, because I thought maybe he made his money dealing drugs or something, given some of the friends he had... and I didn't really have any other place to go, so I figured as long as I avoided the issue...," Naruto realized he was rambling a bit. "But that's so cool! I wonder if I'll get to meet the band. I remember being really into them my freshman year in high school."

Shikamaru shrugged. "Just watch out. The band has always had a pretty wild reputation. Especially Yahiko."

"Yeah, well... I've been hanging out with some of Nagato's other friends for a while, so I think I'm pretty well already exposed to most of it."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. His watch beeped. "Shit, I have to go to class. This is the only class that has part of its grade based on attendance."

Naruto smiled, "Hey, no problem. Let me give you my new number," he punched the digits into Shikamaru's phone. "Give me a call if you have some free time. It would be great to catch up. I don't know anyone else on campus."

Shikamaru nodded, and headed off to his lecture with a lazy mock salute to his friend.

Naruto finished his coffee, then headed back to Nagato's house. He pulled off his shoes and jacket, thinking he would cook some dinner for Nagato and whoever was over today  He wanted to do something to earn his keep.

He stopped short when he saw the person who was sitting on the sofa talking with Nagato. He had orange hair, blue eyes, and multiple face piercings. He wore black leather pants and a ripped-up black T-shirt that screamed rock star. Naruto recognized him instantly, but had no idea what to do. He didn't want to come across as some stupid groupie. "Oh, hey, Nagato. Sorry... I didn't know you had company. Should I come back later?"

Naruto found his gaze held by the redheaded man. He knew that Yahiko was 28. He had dropped out of high school at 17 to be the front man for Pain, and the gamble had paid off. He had made millions as a musician, and had a cult following due to both his raw sex appeal and the dark, emotional songs that he sang. Naruto forced himself to look over at Nagato, trying not to stare or act like an idiot fangirl in front of Yahiko.

"Naruto! I'm glad you're back actually. There is someone I'd like to introduce you to," Nagato said, motioning Naruto over. Naruto could feel the gaze of the pierced man following him as he walked over. He tried to meet the gaze calmly, but couldn't help his slight stammer.

"Hi! I'm N-Naruto," he blushed slightly, cursing himself. This was Nagato's friend. Just a regular person. Naruto just kept telling himself that over and over. But he had never met anyone famous before, and he couldn't really hide the excitement he felt about it. "I really like your music," he said, glad that this time he didn't stammer.

Yahiko smile slowly, pure sex, and offered his hand in greeting. "Yahiko. The pleasure is definitely mine."

Naruto's blush intensified, and Nagato frowned a bit at Yahiko. "How do you two know each other?" Naruto asked, hoping to distract from his flaming face.

"We're brothers," Yahiko said, smiling at Nagato.

"Well, basically brothers. We were both at the same orphanage. We met there. Yahiko is several years younger than I am, but we were close growing up. When Yahiko started his band, I helped write the lyrics," Nagato said, smiling slightly.

"That's so cool!" Naruto instantly wished he could have said something that didn't make him sound like such a teenager.

Yahiko laughed softly. "I guess. But Nagato's been in a bit of a slump writing-wise for the past couple of years. He has one song that is really great which we already recorded, but we need more than that if we're going to come out with a new album."

Naruto nodded. "Do you want me to leave you guys alone so you can try to work on some new songs?" He didn't want to seem clingy, or be a third wheel if these guys had work to do.

"Actually, Naruto, that was something I was going to talk to you about," Nagato began. "I remember that poem you brought in to the writers workshop last year. It was really good, especially for your age."

Naruto shuffled his foot, not sure if that was really a compliment or a jab at his maturity level. "Thanks?"

"I was curious about some of your new writings. I know you might be annoyed, but I looked through them. They're really pretty good. Yahiko agrees. And we were wondering how you'd feel about us using them as the basis for the songs on Pain's next album."

"I... what?" Naruto was a little upset that Nagato had read his notebooks... his writing was almost like his diary. He had poured out all his emotions into the poems and short prose pieces. But he was also incredibly excited at the idea of his work being praiseworthy to Nagato and Yahiko. They were older, successful, and talented. "Really?"

Yahiko chuckled, "Yeah, really. Your work is very original. It's raw and dark... it would be perfect."

Naruto stood there, feeling shocked and still processing this very unforeseen turn of events.

Nagato slightly misinterpreted the silence. "You'd get copyrights and royalties for the songs, of course. We can have something drawn up if you are worried about that."

"Uh, sure. That... would be great. I mean, yes, if you think they'd be good material for your next album..." Naruto trailed off. He had no idea about contracts, copyrights, or royalties, but he knew that people who didn't pay attention to this generally got screwed over in the music industry. He bet Neji would know what to ask for, but if they were going to talk through that live he'd need someone local. Then he remembered bumping into Shikamaru. Aside from being possibly the smartest guy on the planet, Shika was now pre-law. If anyone could help him navigate this, it would be him.

"We'd have to adjust some of the pieces to fit the meter of the songs, but we could work together on that. If you're good with it, I'll have our agent draw up a contract and you can come by the studio tomorrow and sign it. Then we can start work on them."

"Great! That would be amazing," Naruto knew he was almost vibrating with excitement, but at the moment he didn't care. His first thought was _Wait until I tell Sasuke about this..._ and then he realized that wasn't going to happen. He felt the happiness fade a bit. These were the hard moments for Naruto. Usually he could go along fine, but every once in a while, something would come up that he would automatically want to tell his friend about. And it brought the absence of that friendship crashing down around him again.

"We should go out and celebrate," Yahiko said, noticing the sudden fading of the boy's excitement but not saying anything about it.

"Yeah, sure. That would be great," Naruto said. But the tone was flatter than it had been a minute ago. Nagato and Yahiko exchanged glances, but didn't say anything. They had read Naruto's writing. It was pretty clear what had happened.

Yahiko took them out to a five star restaurant. Naruto had never been in such an expensive place, nor dined with a celebrity. He was a little awed by the special treatment they received, walking in without a reservation, being immediately shown to a private room. Naruto didn't even recognize most of the stuff on the menu. He had planned on just ordering the cheapest thing, but realized there weren't even prices listed. He glanced nervously at Nagato, who had been watching him with amusement. "Just order what you want, Naruto. Yahiko has enough money to cover the tab, believe me."

. . . .

Naruto called Shikamaru the next morning.

" _Mpfh_ ," came the lazy voice over the phone.

"Shika. Get your lazy, pre-law ass out of bed. I need your help," Naruto grinned, easily imagining the sleepy scowl on his friend's face.

" _Naruto, do you have any idea what time it is?"_

"It's nine in the morning," Naruto said, checking the clock.

" _Yeah. Nine in the morning on a day I don't have a morning class. Call me back in a few hours,"_ the lazy brunette said, clearly about to hang up.

"Wait! I need your help! I got offered a job writing lyrics for Pain with Nagato and Yahiko. I am supposed to meet with some rep from the record company today and their agent to talk terms and sign some sort of contract around fees, copyrights, and shit that I don't know anything about. I need you to come and help me. Think of it as... practice for your future career in law?"

There was a brief silence. Naruto mentally crossed his fingers, hoping Shikamaru would find the idea interesting enough to be worth his time.

" _Fine. Where do I meet you?"_

"Meet me in the parking lot by your dorm. Nagato and I will swing by and pick you up in half an hour."

Three hours later, Naruto was signing a series of documents that Shikamaru and the band's agent and the record label's attorney had hashed out. Naruto thanked his lucky stars that he had had Shikamaru there. He felt like his brain was bleeding just listening to the legal jargon that had been tossed around. He had no idea how Shikamaru knew half of what he knew, given that he slept through almost every class he had ever taken since kindergarten and hadn't even _gone_ to law school yet, but Shika had managed to wipe the condescending look from the two professional attorneys' faces, replacing it in turn by shock, confusion, panic, and finally respect for the younger man. But in the end, the deal was done and Naruto knew he wasn't going to be screwed over. Both men had offered Shikamaru a job when he finished law school. When the found out he was still a freshman in undergrad, they had looked mortified. Shikamaru had just smirked, then asked Nagato to give him a lift home.

. . . .

Naruto spent the remaining weeks before spring semester started working with Yahiko and Nagato picking through which pieces of his work would make the best songs, then spending time in the recording studio as the band messed around building out the music around some of the pieces and adjusting some of the lyrics if necessary to fit the timing. He felt a little out of place working with the professional musicians and Nagato, but it was cool to see how they were able to translate the emotions he had put in writing using words into music. It was no wonder the band had been successful for so long.

There were usually drugs and alcohol around, but Naruto stayed away from it for the most part, too afraid of making a total fool of himself. The one time that Hidan and Zetsu had talked Naruto into going out and partying with the band, he had woken up the next morning with a tongue piercing and a tattoo on his stomach, and absolutely no memory of what had happened. He decided after that that he couldn't wait to move back into the dorms once the semester started. It was too easy to fall into the lifestyle when it was all around him.

It was a week before the dorms opened when Naruto woke up in the night to feel someone stroking his hair. Groggily, he sat up, surprised to find Nagato there.

"What.. what are you doing?"

"Sorry..." Nagato said. "I just... thought I heard something in your room and thought I'd check on you."

Naruto's haze of sleep faded, and he noticed the haunted, tortured expression on Nagato's face. "Are you ok?"

Nagato blew out a shaky breath. "Nightmares," he said.

Naruto didn't really know what to do, how to comfort the older man from 'nightmares'. He reached out and grabbed Nagato's hand, squeezing in slightly. "Want to talk about it?"

The older man just shook his head. "No. But... I'm glad you're here. I really wish you wouldn't move into the dorms. It's like... having a family."

"Yeah... I guess so. I never really had one, but... it would have been nice to."

"I had one. But it was a long time ago."

Naruto didn't quite know what to say to that. He knew from experience this wasn't the casual type of void that could be filled with simple conversation.

Finally, he said. "I'll still be here a lot. The university requires students to live in the dorms the first two years, but I'll still be spending a lot of evenings working here with you and Yahiko."

Nagato nodded, but didn't say anything. They sat in silence for a while, then Nagato stood. "I'd better get to bed. Sorry for waking you."

Naruto lay there in the darkness for a while. He felt a strange connection to Nagato. And sadness for the pain he had seen etched in the man's face when he had spoken of his family. He wondered why the man had come to him seeking comfort from his nightmare, almost like a child, despite the fact that he was so much older.

. . . .

Naruto went back to the admissions office to pick up his room assignment for the next semester. He was pretty excited about going back to school. He already had at least one friend, and it looked like his writing was actually going to get him somewhere.

Naruto waited patiently while the student volunteer who worked at the office looked up his file to give him his dorm and room number.

The guy paled. "Um... h-here you go," he cast a worried look at Naruto.

Naruto wondered why the guy seemed so nervous all of a sudden. "What's wrong?"

"It's just..." the guy lowered his voice to a whisper. "... you might want to put in for a room transfer. Your roommate is listed as Sabaku Gaara."

Naruto stared blankly at the guy, the name not ringing any bells.

"You're not from Suna, are you?"

"Uh, no. I'm from Konoha," Naruto said, not really liking the way this guy was freaking out about his roommate.

"Look, this kid is bad news. He went through four roommates in two weeks last semester. The stopped trying to put anyone in with him after that. I guess they must have forgotten about it with the new semester. I'm sure they'd let you switch, though."

"Why would I switch before I even met the guy? Maybe we'll get along."

"Are you stupid? His father is the mayor of the city, and he also owns the gold mines that the entire economy of Suna was founded on. He owns everything in this town. He's totally ruthless."

"Well, then I'm glad I'm not rooming with his dad. But that doesn't mean this Gaara is like that, right?"

The guy just rolled his eyes at Naruto's naïveté. "Here's your key. Just come back here when you decide to file for a room transfer. I'm sure they'll expedite it."

Naruto took the key and the paper showing the dorm name and room number.

When Naruto opened the door to his room, he found a slender, redheaded boy sitting at his desk working on his laptop. The boy didn't even look up as Naruto walked into the room.

"Hi! I'm Uzumaki Naruto. I guess we'll be roommates this semester," Naruto said, putting on a friendly smile.

The redhead continued to ignore him, not looking up from his screen.

"You know, you really need to work on your people skills. Like... if someone introduces themselves to you, you should smile and return the greeting," Naruto said conversationally.

The redhead turned to give Naruto a glare, then went back to looking at his screen.

"People are totally scared of you. When they gave me my room assignment, the guy told me I should put in for a transfer right away. But you seem nice enough to me. I don't' know what their deal is," Naruto said, wanting to see if the boy would give in and talk to him.

Instead, he received an intensified version of the earlier glare.

Naruto grinned. He had long ago become immune to glares. He found glaring... rather endearing. It made him feel at home. Still grinning, Naruto walked over and reached out to close the laptop screen.

The thin, pale hand shot out with surprising strength to grip Naruto's wrist, and it immediately began twisting it back in a way that would have forced Naruto to his knees. Except that Naruto remembered one of the 'tricks' that Jiraya had taught him, and rotated his arm and body quickly. The redhead, who was attached to his arm, found himself being tossed over Naruto's shoulder and would have hit the ground hard had he not turned his body at the last minute, releasing his grip and landing in a crouched position. Clear green eyes narrowed at smiling blue ones.

"Can we try this again? Hi, I'm Uzumaki Na-"

"Where did you learn how to do that?" The boy asked.

"Do what?" Naruto asked innocently.

"The throw. It wasn't one I've seen before."

"My godfather taught it to me. He used to teach me all kinds of random tricks like that what I was younger."

" _Tricks?_ Who is your godfather?"

"Sanin Jiraya... he writes porn. And a serious book or two. He's a total pervert, but decent enough in a fight I suppose."

"Sanin Jiraya is your godfather? He's one of 3 masters of the Baguazhang* fighting style. He taught you?"

"Well, I don't know about _taught_. But we used to mess around whenever he'd visit."

The boy stood up. "Let's go," he said, his voice flat.

"Where?"

"Outside. I want to spar with you."

Two hours later found them both laying on the ground, panting, sweaty and exhausted. The redhead turned to look at Naruto. "I'm Gaara."

Naruto smirked. "I know. They told me your name when I got my room assignment."

"Why didn't you ask for a new roommate when they told you about me?"

"They didn't like you because of your father. When I was little, people didn't like me because I didn't _have_ a father. I don't like judging people for things they don't control."

Gaara looked at him steadily for a few minutes. Then a tiny smile appeared on his lips. "Yeah. Me, neither."

Naruto sighed, feeling content. It had been a long time since he felt a bond like this with someone. He knew Gaara was a kindred soul. Somehow, he didn't feel as alone anymore.

-xXx-

The semester had been going really well. Naruto had made it through midterms and had several of his writing pieces highlighted in a student exhibit by his professors. His friendship with Gaara had continued to grow, much to the dismay of everyone on their floor who had firmly believed that it would be impossible for anyone to befriend the redhead.

Naruto had been working in the studio with the band since lunch that Friday. He was tired after the long week of classes and studio work, and was looking forward to going back to the dorm and crashing. Finals were next week, and he wanted to get some sleep before hell week started.

He felt Yahiko come up behind him, and looked up.

"Since you're our new songwriter, why don't you come down to the set where we're going to make the video for first single," Yahiko said, leaning casually against the back of Naruto's chair. Naruto felt the subtle heat of the light contact, and tried to keep his reaction from showing. Yahiko was a famous rock star. He was not going to be interested in some kid barely out of high school.

"Sure, that would be cool," Naruto said casually.

"I'll drive you down. It's pretty far from campus. You might want to let your roommate know you'll be late. We can catch a drink or something after."

Naruto sent Gaara a quick text, then followed Yahiko out to his car. It was a black Corvette Stingray. Naruto was a little afraid to touch it.

When they got to the studio, Yahiko showed Naruto to a bar that had been set up 'to keep the groupies and roadies entertained while we practice'.

A man with pale skin and jet-black hair walked up, smiling at both of them. Something about the man's smile put Naruto off, but there was no denying that he was physically very attractive. He reminded Naruto a bit of Sasuke in looks, but didn't have the same burning intensity in terms of personality.

"This is Sai. He does most of the group's photography, and is also going to be shooting the video. He's here tonight to just get some footage of the band while we practice. Why don't you just hang out at the bar and relax while we set up and get some practice runs in? You've been great on this... we made really good progress on the last song. We'll have the album recorded on time, which is almost a first for us. You deserve a break."

Naruto smiled, grateful for the praise and accepted the drink that the man at the bar gave him.

Yahiko smiled, and instead of walking away he leaned in closer, and Naruto couldn't quite suppress the goose bumps that appeared on his arms as the hot breath touched his skin. "I can definitely see why Nagato is so obsessed with you."

Yahiko walked up to the stage, and Naruto noticed Sai observing him. "What?" Naruto asked, uncomfortable under the man's scrutiny.

"You're very attractive, in a slightly feminine way," Sai said. "Here's a form Yahiko asked me to have you sign."

"Feminine? What the fuck!" Naruto hadn't been called girlie since middle school. He was toned and athletic, and taller than most guys. Including the one standing in front of him calling him girlie.

"I just mean the big blue eyes, long lashes, and blond hair. I don't know enough about the rest of you to comment. Yet."

"You're an ass. And you're not going to find out about the rest of me. Ever." Naruto glared at him. "What's the form about, anyway?"

"It just gives us permission to use any photos or videos we take of you working with the band. We might do a documentary on how the album was made," Sai said, his fake smile showing again.

Naruto wished Shikamaru were here, but the form was only one page long. Naruto scanned it, but it seemed to be basically what the photographer had just stated. Permission to use photos and videos of himself and the band, for the purpose of promoting their music. Naruto shrugged and signed it, purposefully ignoring the man next to him and focusing on Yahiko.

Naruto sat there, entranced, watching Yahiko sensually taking the mic on stage where the band was warming up. The man at the bar was already refilling his drink. He watched as Yahiko began to sing the new song 'Fallen Angel'. It was the one song on the album that Nagato had written. Yahiko kept his eyes locked on Naruto's as he sang.

-xXx-

Naruto had rented a house for the summer with Gaara and Shikamaru. He spent time visiting Nagato, but the man had become so overprotective that living with him was a bit awkward. Gaara's sister Temari was often over as well. At first Naruto had assumed it was to check in on her baby brother. But after finding her and Shika lip-locking in the kitchen one morning, he revised his thinking on that.

Sai also showed up fairly frequently, following Naruto around taking pictures of him. Naruto had been pretty irritated by it, until Sai brought him back to his studio to show Naruto his other works.

Sai was amazingly talented. As awkward as the man was socially, he had a depth of emotion that came through in his art that surprised Naruto.

"Look, Sai, what do you want from me?" Naruto had finally said grudgingly.

"You're interesting. And I like taking photos of you," Sai said, not seeming to find anything wrong with the idea.

"You know I'm never going to sleep with you, right?"

Sai just smiled. "Of course."

Naruto sighed. He didn't really like Sai, but he did respect him as an artist.

Until he saw the video.

Naruto hadn't seen Yahiko since that night back on the set where they were going to shoot the first video. Yahiko had evidently told Nagato about it, and Nagato had been furious, refusing to continue to work with Yahiko on the rest of the album. Naruto had tried to intervene, saying it wasn't like Yahiko had forced him into anything, but Nagato had said that Yahiko was older and should have been able to control himself better. Naruto felt guilty about coming between the friends. He knew that Yahiko wasn't serious about him, and it had just been a one-night-thing for both of them. If his judgment had been fully intact, Naruto probably wouldn't have gone so far with someone he was working with, but he would be lying if he said he didn't find Yahiko attractive from the very start.

Yahiko had been locked in the recording studio with the band since then working on finalizing the recordings for the album that was due to be released shortly. Naruto had heard a heated argument between Nagato and Yahiko on the phone regarding something about the first video, but Nagato hadn't talked to him about it afterward.

When Naruto first saw the video, he thought he was going to have a heart attack.

 _Oh, my god._ He had definitely known people who had posted clips of their sexual exploits on facebook or YouTube. But this was on a whole other level. It wasn't like he was ashamed of his sexuality. But he also wasn't _at all_ comfortable with this level of exposure of his personal life.

Suddenly, his picture was all over the news. He was swarmed everywhere he went, with strangers wanting his autograph. Or his phone number. He had a sudden appreciation for how much Sasuke had hated his hordes of fangirls stalking him all over for sex.

Two days later, Sai had made the mistake of showing up at Naruto's house, and found himself flying through the air back down the steps.

"You fucking pervert! When were you and Yahiko going to tell me about this?"

Sai blinked, rubbing his ass as he stood up. "Yahiko did tell you. Don't you remember signing the paper?"

Naruto glared. "That was supposed to be about a documentary with the band. Not a sex tape!"

"The song was written about you. It was part of the documentary about the song. And I never showed you two actually having sex. There was no penetration."

Naruto blushed furiously. "I know that, but... Sai! Seriously, do you not see anything wrong in what you did?"

Sai shrugged. "I'm sorry if you are upset by the video. I thought you looked quite good in it, actually. Zetsu sent this for you, in case you were upset."

Sai held out a brown paper bag. Naruto just glared at it.

"If you've taken any more naked pictures or videos of me, I will shove your entire studio of photography equipment up your ass," Naruto glared again for good measure, then sighed. "But honestly, this is more Yahiko's fault than anyone's. He's the one who decided to film it, and put it in the fucking video."

Sai just smiled his fake smile. "Of course, Naruto-kun. I would never violate your privacy in such a way again."

"That is the lamest apology I have ever heard. Seriously, you need to get out of here."

"Naruto! The air conditioning is broken. It's boiling hot in the house. Call someone already to fix it!" Temari said. The AC had broken during the night, leaving everyone tired and uncomfortable dealing with the raw heat during the hottest part of the Suna summer. Naruto stalked back into the house, rolling his eyes when he realized that Sai had followed him.

"I can fix it," Naruto said. "We don't need to pay for a repairman."

Sai handed Naruto the bag he had been holding. "These are from Zetsu. He wanted to send you something to make you feel better after he heard about the video. He also said to tell you that you have a nice ass."

"Sai, do you want me to beat the shit out of you? Because it seems like that's what you're aiming for," Naruto glared at Sai, while opening the bag. "He sent me brownies? Seriously?"

Naruto didn't know whether to laugh or throw them back at Sai. He gets a sex tape of him shown on national television, and someone sends him brownies to make him feel better?

Naruto sighed, pulled one out, and bit into it. It wasn't bad, and he hadn't had breakfast yet. Sai grabbed one as well. "Bastard, those are supposed to be for me."

Sai just smiled and continued eating.

Naruto shoved the rest of it in his mouth and went over and pulled off the face plate of the AC that was mounted in the window of the living room. "Ok, I just need to go get my tools. I think they're in my closet somewhere."

"Finally... I'm dying in here," Temari said.

"Why didn't you get Shikamaru to fix it?" Naruto asked.

Temari rolled her eyes. "Seriously? You've known him way longer than I have, and you are really asking me this question?"

Naruto laughed. Temari seemed much funnier than usual. Gaara came out of his room and looked at Naruto, his eyes narrowing.

"What are you doing"

"Fixing the AC," Naruto choked out between fits of laughter. "I just.. have to go get my equipment from my room. Don't worry... I totally got this."

"What the hell is he doing here?" Gaara said menacingly, looking at Sai. Sai had the sense to back away slowly.

"You're still here?" Naruto asked, trying but failing to glare at Sai. The whole thing did seem kind of funny right then.

Just then there was a knock at the door. Gaara was still in his pajamas, so there was no way he was going to answer it. Naruto was dressed, mostly. He had taken his shirt off due to the heat, but at least he was wearing jeans. "I'll go see who it is," Naruto said, and went to answer the door.

He was shocked to see a reporter and cameraman standing on his front steps. _Fuck_ , he thought. _I am going to kill Yahiko and Sai for this._

_. . . . ._

Naruto hung up the phone with Shikamaru. Of _course_ Sasuke had found out about the video. " _Sasuke called... he was asking me if I had seen you over the summer. He just saw the video and was pretty surprised by it. Has he called you recently?"_ No. Of course Sasuke hadn't called. Not once since their last fight. Not even when he'd been kicked out of school. Naruto felt himself sliding again. He had done pretty well last semester, focusing on his classes and his work with the band.

But now, he just wanted to escape. Everything was fucked up.

The music was pounding against his body. Naruto swirled his drink, already feeling a slight buzz. It had been a while since he had thought of Sasuke, but tonight... he just wanted to forget for a while. Didn't want to feel the weight of the judgment of his former best friend. He didn't want to think about the void his absence had created in his life.

Naruto didn't really care if he ended up going home with a guy or a girl. He just didn't want to sleep alone. He hadn't done this since his birthday, but at least this time he had not made the mistake of going out with a friend. There would be no strings, no embarrassment, and no awkwardness to deal with the morning after.

He had danced with a few guys and several girls, but he wanted to drink a bit more before he left with anyone. He kept getting a weird feeling that someone was watching him, and looked around to see if Sai were stalking him again, but didn't see him.

The fall semester was going to start next week, and Naruto was planning on really buckling down. After what had happened with the video, Naruto didn't want to continue to work with the band as their songwriter. He didn't even know what he'd do to Yahiko the next time he saw him. He'd already been arrested once for assault, and wasn't really looking forward to a second time.

If he got his degree, he could work as a journalist or an editor... something reliable and predictable. At least, reliable and predictable relative to the music business.

A brunette wearing a very short skirt came up and pulled Naruto back out on the dance floor. He quickly downed the rest of his drink, set his empty glass on the bar and followed her out. She pressed her body against Naruto, and he reflexively circled his arms around her small waist.

She slid her hands up his bare arms appreciatively. They danced for a few more songs, their bodies pressing closer together. Naruto again felt like someone was staring at him, but when he glanced around he didn't see anything other than the mass of people grinding together on the dance floor, generally lost in their own little worlds.

Naruto liked dancing. He had the same physical effect in a way that sex did. You didn't feel lonely when you were dancing with someone. And the music helped with the not thinking part. The alcohol didn't hurt either.

He was dancing with a guy now, and felt the man slide his hands over Naruto's back and ass, pulling him flush against him. He wrapped his arms around Naruto's neck and pulled his face down. Naruto took the hint and kissed him. "Let me buy you another drink, ok?" The older man said. "I'm just going to go to the bathroom. I'll be right back."

Naruto just nodded as he headed off. The feeling of being watched had intensified, and Naruto was beginning to feel a little uncomfortable. He started to walk over to the hallway where the bathrooms were, when suddenly pale, masculine arms pulled him to the side into a coat room. Since it was summer, the room was totally empty.

Naruto stumbled, not quite steady on his feet with the number of drinks he had consumed. "Sai? What the fuck, man..."

"I'm _not_ Sai, Dobe," a low voice rumbled against his ear.

Naruto's voice cut off as he turned around to see the tall black-haired man who was gripping his arm. It wasn't Sai.

"S... Sasuke?"

Not bothering to reply, Sasuke pushed Naruto up against the wall, his mouth crushing down in a bruising kiss.

-xXx-

_to be continued..._

We will find out exactly how Sasuke ended up being where he was, and deciding this was the right approach (no, he is not just being a total caveman). So, the next chapter obviously will have SasuNaru action... unless Sasuke decides he just wants to grab a coffee with Naruto instead and catch up on old times.

* this is a very uncommon martial arts form that uses a lot of circular body motions so it reminded me a bit of the flow of rasengan, so I decided it would be a good fit for Jiraya. I wanted it to be something more interesting than Karate, to fit into the plot. Plus, I'm just a geek about martial arts.


	11. In the club

-xXx-

Sasuke called Shikamaru as soon as he landed in Suna, reluctantly deciding that Sakura had made a valid point about the boy potentially knowing more about where Naruto was staying and what he was up to. The brunette was clearly surprised to hear from him, as they had not been close in high school. Though to be fair, the only person in high school that Sasuke had been close with was Naruto.

"What do you mean, have I talked to Naruto recently? You mean today?" Shikamaru asked, slightly confused.

"I just mean have you seen him since he moved to Suna. We... lost touch, and I just got into town and thought I'd look him up. Do you know where he's staying for the summer?"

"Yeah... we're living together, actually, along with his roommate from last semester."

"Is Naruto there now?" Sasuke tried to keep his tone casual. But it had bothered him that he hadn't heard Naruto's voice in almost nine months. He had missed him more than he had thought possible, which was saying a lot.

"No, he's out right now, but I could call him and let him know you're coming..."

"No, that's ok," Sasuke said quickly. "I'll just come over and hang out there until he gets in, if you don't mind. We... didn't part on great terms, and I don't want him to avoid me."

Shikamaru sighed, but agreed to not tell Naruto that his friend was in town. He wasn't sure that Sasuke was wrong that Naruto would avoid coming home for the weekend if Naruto knew he were here. He knew, probably better than Sasuke, how hard Naruto had taken their fight. He gave Sasuke their address, and Sasuke said he would be there in an hour.

While he could see Sasuke's point about Naruto potentially avoiding him, Shikamaru didn't want Naruto to be totally blindsided, either. He wanted to be sure there wasn't something more going on that Sasuke wasn't telling him beyond what he already knew. He called Naruto to see if he had heard from Sasuke recently and if the fight had escalated further, but Naruto said he hadn't heard from Sasuke since he transferred, and didn't expect to. Playing go-between was troublesome, but Shikamaru knew that these two needed to resolve things face-to-face, so he held his tongue on the surprise visit.

Sasuke took a taxi to his hotel. After showering and grabbing a quick room service dinner, he headed out to the address Shikamaru had given him. When he arrived, he immediately recognized the house as the same one that the interview had been shot at. Shikamaru was the only one home at the time, and they spent a bit of time catching up on what had been happening with each other since graduation.

"How long are you in town for?"

Sasuke hesitated, then decided there was no reason not to be up-front about this. Classes started next week, after all.

"Actually, I will be taking over operations of the Suna branch of our family business, so Itachi and I decided it would make sense for me to transfer here finish my undergrad while getting up to speed on the business here."

Shikamaru didn't seem that surprised. But his next words caught Sasuke off guard. "So you've finally decided to go after Naruto? It's about time," Shikamaru said with a yawn.

Sasuke raised a brow, not certain he was comfortable with anyone other than Itachi being able to read him that clearly. He had hoped to pass this off as him deciding to transfer to an equally good school that happened to be closer to his company's largest branch office as he started to get more involved in the family business. Until he was more certain of how Naruto felt about him, at least. He didn't want to look like a complete idiot especially if Naruto was already in a serious relationship with someone, which based on the interview and the video, seemed entirely possible.

Shikamaru just rolled his eyes, clearly reading Sasuke's reticence for what it was. "I am guessing you saw the video and finally realized that Naruto would be, shall we say, open to the idea of you as more than a friend. Which, of course, you have been wanting since middle school."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes but he didn't deny it. He decided instead to be just as direct as Shikamaru was. "Sakura said Naruto is dating some guy named Sai... and having some sort of relationship with the lead singer of Pain."

Shikamaru sighed, but answered the implied question. "He's not dating Sai. Sai is sort of... stalking Naruto for artistic purposes."

Sasuke raised his eyebrows at the strange characterization of their relationship, but didn't say anything. Naruto wasn't dating Sai, and right now that was the important thing. Though he would have to have a conversation with Sai about the extreme PDA if that were a usual occurrence. Once he had a right to intervene, that is.

Shikamaru was continuing, "But Yahiko and Naruto... there's obviously something there. Naruto works with the band, and Yahiko is close with Nagato, so they have spent a lot of time together. But ever since the video, I don't think they've spoken, though if they had, he probably wouldn't mention it with Gaara around."

"Gaara?"

"Naruto's roommate from last semester. They're tight. And Gaara hates Yahiko. And Sai."

Sasuke was starting to like this Gaara person, until Shikamaru added, "And probably you."

"Why would Gaara hate me? He doesn't even know me."

"Gaara hates anyone who messes Naruto up."

Sasuke shrugged uncomfortably. He knew he fit into that category, though Naruto was not blameless in the mess they had made of their friendship either.

Sasuke felt a frisson of doubt snake through his stomach as he thought back on Shikamaru's words about Naruto's relationship with Yahiko. He had hoped that the video had been staged, and Naruto had just gotten really good at acting, but it wasn't sounding like that. In fact, it was even worse than Sasuke had thought, because evidently Naruto wasn't some sort of groupie who got lucky one night, but actually seemed to know Yahiko far beyond the scope of the video. "So... the video was real?"

Shikamaru nodded. "Naruto didn't know Sai was filming it. He is really pissed off about it. Sent Sai flying out the door and down the front steps when he first saw the video. I think he has been avoiding Yahiko until he gets his temper under control."

Sasuke gave an amused snort at the mental image of Sai flying through the air, but the humor quickly faded as he thought about dealing with an actual relationship between Naruto and an older, famous, sexy rock star. Sasuke had never really been insecure about his ability to attract someone, but Yahiko was... a rock star. Literally. For fuck's sake.

"Giving up already?" Shikamaru asked. "Doesn't really seem like you, Sasuke. You came all the way here for a reason, I'm assuming. And not the bullshit one about your family business either."

Sasuke shrugged, suddenly feeling tired.

"He likes you, you know. He has for almost as long as you've liked him," Shikamaru said quietly.

Sasuke gave a humorless laugh. "Now _that_ I know for a _fact_ is not true, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru looked at Sasuke consideringly, clearly weighing options. Yahiko had called earlier that day looking for Naruto. Shikamaru hadn't seen Naruto yet to deliver the message, and he was not really inclined to. That stunt with the video was pretty shitty, good PR or not. Shikamaru was pretty sure that any relationship between Yahiko and Naruto was not going to be good for the blond in the long run. Sure, Sasuke had messed Naruto up, but he was pretty sure the reverse was also true. And that both of them had done it unintentionally in their desperation to not risk their friendship. It was annoying, but it was understandable.

"What if I could prove to you, beyond any doubt, that Naruto has liked you since high school? As more than a friend," Shikamaru said, already deciding where he was landing on this issue.

"I can't think of anything that could possibly convince me of that. I spent almost every day together with him during that time. You didn't."

"Sometimes it's easier to see things more clearly from a distance. But what if Naruto's own words told you?" Shikamaru said, his expression one of confidence, and the surety that he knew something that Sasuke didn't.

"He's not here right now, so I don't see how that would be possible, unless he took a selfie of his old love confessions or something," Sasuke said dryly.

Shikamaru stood and went over to pick up some papers that were sitting on the kitchen table. "These are the lyrics to songs from Pain's latest album."

Sasuke glanced at them, but didn't bother reading them. "Why should I care what Nagato has to say about anything?"

"Nagato didn't write these. Naruto did. That's why he's involved with the band. Nagato and Yahiko saw Naruto's writing, and liked it. They agreed to use some of his pieces as the basis for the songs for their new album. It suited the group's rep for dark and angsty. A lot of them focus on unrequited love... recognize any of the stories in here, Sasuke?"

Sasuke lifted the sheets of paper slowly, looking at Shikamaru and trying to assess where this was headed. He started reading.

And felt his whole world shift.

The first song was called 'Rooftops'. They had changed the genders, but Sasuke didn't need any help recalling with perfect clarity some of the conversations that were referred to in the lyrics. This was a song about him and Naruto, how they met, how they became friends... and the refrain:

_If I could get you alone on a rooftop again, would I tell you the truth, or would I say we're just friends?_

_But the only one standing on the roof now is me... it's not like it used to be (not like it used to be)_

And there was another called 'Happy Fucking Birthday' (because they were a punk band, evidently that title was acceptable) that told a story about watching the 'girl' he loved with her new boyfriend, their tongues down each other's throats as he stood in silence, wondering why he came to her house that day. It ended talking about riding a bus aimlessly around the city for hours, trying to escape but not getting anywhere. Sasuke didn't have to guess which birthday that had been. It had been his second worst birthday. His first 'worst' had been the one this summer, where he hadn't even gotten a phone call from Naruto.

The third song Sasuke read was called 'Oblivion', and it made him feel slightly queasy to hear Naruto describing the seduction of losing himself in drugs and alcohol because it was the only way he could let go and forget for a while.

_How could this be possible? Why hadn't Naruto ever said anything?_

He stopped reading. He didn't need to read more. He needed to talk to Naruto.

He looked up, shaken, to meet Shikamaru's knowing gaze.

Shikamaru just shrugged. "For a guy who is so good at words, Naruto clearly needs to work on his communication, wouldn't you say? Of course, you're not any better. But you always did have a reputation for being an emotionally constipated bastard. So I guess it's not surprising that you never really said anything either."

Sasuke looked down at the pages in front of him again, his mind temporarily blank. "Where is he?"

Sasuke needed to see Naruto. Right now. The emotions churning in him were completely out of control. How had they let this happen to them? But he already knew the answer. They had both valued their friendship so much that they had been too afraid to risk it. Naruto must have been just as blind to what Sasuke had felt, as he had about Naruto. If the last year hadn't been such a fucking nightmare, Sasuke would have laughed.

Before reading these lyrics, Sasuke had been hoping that Naruto had felt something, somewhere, that was slightly more than friendship for him that Sasuke could build on. But this... this was way beyond anything he had imagined. He needed to find Naruto and show him he felt exactly the same way. The agony in Naruto's songs ate at him. How could he not have seen this?

Shikamaru looked at the clock and frowned. It was getting late into the evening. Naruto was usually home by now. The front door opened and two heads snapped up to see who it was. Temari walked in carrying some groceries. She stopped when she saw an unfamiliar face sitting with her boyfriend.

"Temari, this is Sasuke. The guy Naruto wrote the songs about."

Temari's eyes sharpened in interest as she quickly gave Sasuke the once-over. "So... he's here to just mess Naruto up some more or what? I thought Naruto transferred here to try to get out from under this guy."

Sasuke glared, but Shikamaru was already calmly responding. "No, he came here chasing after Naruto. There's been some... misunderstandings about the state of each other's feelings. Have you heard from Naruto? I thought he'd be home by now."

Temari rolled her eyes. "Misunderstandings? Jesus fucking Christ," she put her hands on her hips, but couldn't even think of anything to say that would accurately express her thoughts on two boys causing each other so much damage because they were too stupid to just say what they felt. She always knew that she had more balls then most guys she knew. This was just yet another proof point for her. "Naruto called the house earlier while you were out and said he was going to hit the clubs tonight, and wouldn't be home until tomorrow."

Temari looked at Sasuke apologetically. "I don't think he knew you were in town."

Sasuke stood to leave. Naruto was sure as _hell_ not going to hook up with some stranger tonight. Not after all this.

"Which clubs?" Sasuke said, his voice steely.

"He didn't say. But Sai would probably know," Temari offered.

"He's going clubbing with the guy who took a _sex video_ of him without his knowledge?" Sasuke said, anger at Naruto's apparent naïveté spiking up.

"No... Sai just generally follows Naruto whenever he goes out. If Naruto sees him, he'll kick his ass. Sai doesn't stay too long. I think he might still be taking photos for Yahiko. Or Nagato. Or maybe he just likes taking pictures of Naruto. It's a little unclear," Temari said, shrugging as though this were perfectly acceptable.

Temari called Sai while Sasuke tried to get his head around why Naruto hadn't filed a restraining order on the guy long ago. Temari spoke briefly on the phone, then wrote down an address on a piece of paper and handed it to Sasuke. "This is where Sai says Naruto is right now."

Sasuke grabbed his phone and plugged in the address. It was close to campus. Walking distance from here. And walking distance from his hotel.

"Did he say if Naruto was alone, or with someone?"

"The only people he'd go clubbing with are Nagato's friends or the band. But he hasn't done that much recently, given what happened the last time..." Temari trailed off suddenly realizing that Naruto might not want this sort of thing disclosed to Sasuke. "Anyway, I don't know if he is with them or not."

It didn't really matter, Sasuke supposed. Either way, he was going to talk to Naruto tonight.

"Later, Sasuke," Shikamaru said with a lazy wave. "Be sure you feed Naruto breakfast in the morning."

Temari smacked him across the top of his head. "Pig."

Sasuke didn't reply to either comment as he headed out the door and into the hot Suna night.

Shikamaru leveled a look at her. "Remember how it was when we first admitted that we liked each other?" Temari blushed as she remembered their first, very explosive night together. "We'd only been eying each other for six months. Sasuke and Naruto have been dancing for years."

Temari smiled a sexy smile at her boyfriend. "Well, we have the house to ourselves for a while. Gaara's out to dinner with my father, hoping to slip poison into his wine. Or a steak knife between his ribs. He won't be home until late. Any suggestions?"

If there was one thing you could say about Shikamaru, he never ran out of ideas.

. . . . . .

Sasuke arrived at the club. He realized abruptly that he might not even be able to get in, given he was still underaged and didn't have a fake ID. But he had always looked older than he was, and he simply put on his most confident, cold expression as he approached the door and the man didn't give him a second glance before stamping his hand and letting him in.

Sasuke looked around. The place was packed. Friday nights in the summer, just before school re-started. Everyone was looking for one last weekend of cutting loose before the work started to pile up. He scanned across the crowd, but couldn't find Naruto in the throng of moving bodies and dim lighting. He ordered a drink to give him a ready excuse to the girls (and occasional guy) trying to pull him out to dance.

Two drinks later, he saw Naruto near the far end of the bar across the room from him. There was a girl with an extremely short skirt tugging at his arm. Naruto's other hand held a drink, which he quickly downed as he walked out to the dance floor with her. He was wearing jeans and a tight, white T-shirt. The shirt must have been thin, because Sasuke could see the play of the toned muscles in Naruto's back as he danced with the girl.

Sasuke had never seen Naruto dance before. Watching the subtle movements of the blond's hips in time to the music, the clearly sexual but fluid slight undulation of Naruto's body... it was more than clear Naruto was comfortable in the club scene, and had definitely learned a few things since the last time they had hung out. Sasuke watched for a minute, transfixed by the sight. He felt a fizzing in his blood, and he wasn't sure if it was the alcohol he was unused to drinking, lust for his friend, or anger at the girl who was feeling him up like she owned him.

Sasuke had started walking over to them when he noticed Sai standing off in a corner, taking photos of Naruto and other people in the club. Sasuke recognized him from the interview clip. He quickly finished his drink and walked over to have a word with the creepy photographer.

By the time Sasuke had returned to the club, after leaving Sai in the alley out back with a clear warning to stop stalking Naruto, Sasuke had lost Naruto again. He felt a moment's panic that Naruto might have left with the girl he was dancing with. He went to the bar where he had seen Naruto standing before, and ordered another drink while he scanned the dance floor again. Sasuke wasn't much of a drinker, and he realized he needed to slow down or he'd end up smashed.

Finally, he spotted Naruto, now dancing with a guy that Sasuke didn't recognize.

It was clear that - if Naruto _was_ in some kind of relationship with Yahiko - it wasn't serious. Sasuke knew his friend well enough to know that if Naruto were in a real relationship, he wouldn't be getting drunk in a club and letting strangers grope him. Naruto might be an idiot at times, but he wasn't a cheater.

The guy grabbed Naruto's ass and pulled him hard against him, whispering something in Naruto's ear. Sasuke felt an almost uncontrollable urge to rip the guy's arms off. He was also feeling irrationally pissed off at Naruto for letting it happen, even though Sasuke knew now that Naruto evidently had no idea of Sasuke's true feelings for him. But it was time to change all that. Sasuke felt the room spin slightly as he finished his last drink and stalked over to where Naruto was dancing.

Sasuke was almost to them when the other man headed off to the restroom. Sasuke stepped out of the way, into a small empty room that turned out to be a coatroom.

_There is no way in hell I am letting him go home with some random person tonight._

Sasuke was trying to gather his scattered thoughts on what to say to Naruto when he saw the blond walking past coatroom down the hall towards the men's room. Without a thought beyond ' _I am not letting him go into the stalls after that guy'_ Sasuke grabbed Naruto's arm and pulled him backwards into the coat room with him.

Naruto stumbled back against him, not yet having seen him. "Sai? What the fuck, man..."

"I'm _not_ Sai, Dobe," Sasuke said, desire, frustration, and uncertainty tangling together in his voice.

Naruto's voice cut off as he turned around and looked right at Sasuke, his face showing shocked recognition.

"S... Sasuke?"

Sasuke tried briefly to think of something he could say that would express what he was feeling. But nothing came. All that was registering was that it had been almost a year since he had seen Naruto, heard his voice... and much longer than that since he had been this close to him. The words of the songs Naruto had written about them came flooding back, and before Sasuke could think it through, he found himself pushing Naruto up against the wall, his mouth crushing down in a bruising kiss. He didn't know if it was the alcohol or the years of pent-up desire, and at that moment he didn't care. If Naruto punched him in the face for this, so be it. But Sasuke was done being careful and holding back. One way or another, they were going to clear the air tonight about how they really felt about each other. He'd rather be an idiot than a coward.

-xXx-

Naruto felt hard lips moulding against his own as his body was pressed up against the cold wall of the coatroom. He blinked, trying to take in the reality of the beautiful, flushed face of the owner of those lips.

_Sasuke?_

Oh, god... how many times had Naruto fantasized about _exactly_ this. Naruto knew he was buzzed, but there was no way this was some sort of beer goggles gone crazy. He wasn't _that_ drunk. He would know Sasuke's face, smell, and presence anywhere.

Somehow, out of nowhere, Sasuke was here. Kissing him. Hard. The feel of the firm, smooth lips of his friend, the scent of his hair and cologne, the subtle scent of Sasuke underneath all that, brought back every emotion Naruto had spent the last nine months trying to bury. This kiss was nothing like their first, where Sasuke had sat almost frozen. This time, _Sasuke_ was kissing _him_ with a furious intensity that felt like Naruto was being devoured. He shivered as he felt Sasuke's hands slide up from where he had grabbed Naruto's arm to the back of his neck, his other had pressing into the small of Naruto's back.

Sasuke lifted his head, opening his dark eyes and looking at Naruto searchingly. Naruto was stunned by the naked desire he saw in Sasuke's eyes. Desire for _him_. Not some nameless girl.

"Naruto..." Sasuke's ragged voice held a question.

Naruto realized he hadn't been kissing back. There were a million questions that flickered through Naruto's brain. But he was so afraid that if he started talking he would somehow break the moment, that whatever this insane illusion was would vanish. Before that could happen, he lunged forward, recapturing Sasuke's mouth with his own. He dug his fingers into the soft blackness of Sasuke's hair, just like he had imagined doing a thousand times, fusing his mouth to his best friend's. If he only had one shot at this, he was going to make _damn_ sure he made an impression. Whatever had brought Sasuke to him tonight, he wanted Sasuke to feel at least a tiny portion of what he had been feeling the past two years.

He felt Sasuke's body go rigid, whether from shock or desire Naruto didn't know, but he didn't wait. Somehow, by some miracle that Naruto couldn't even begin to process, Sasuke had shown up in Suna at the same club as him. And was kissing him. At this precise moment in time, there was nothing else that mattered. Naruto would worry about what this all meant, whether this was a one-time thing, or whether they were even _friends_ again, at some later time. But he would not miss this chance to have at least a taste of what he had wanted for so long.

Sasuke was holding Naruto's face, and kissing him. Not like a friend would kiss... kissing him like a lover. He felt Sasuke's lips press harder against his, using the pressure to push Naruto's mouth open. That was just fine by Naruto. Naruto opened his mouth willingly and thrust his tongue into Sasuke's, digging his nails into the back of Sasuke's neck as he did.

He heard the piercing on his tongue click against Sasuke's perfect, white teeth. He felt the vibrations of a low rumble in Sasuke's chest, not sure if it was a groan or a growl. A second later, Sasuke slammed him back up against the wall in the dark corner of the tiny room, pressing his body flush against him. And there was no mistaking what Naruto felt brush against his own throbbing erection. Sasuke was hard. Naruto shuddered in the unbelievable pleasure that surged through him at that knowledge, nearly dizzy with the lust and wonder that was flooding through him.

"Oh, _fuck_ , Sasuke," Naruto's brain was reeling between the alcohol and the unexpected onslaught of emotions. For so long, he had envied the girls he would hear Sasuke with. Wishing he could know the intimate touches that made them scream in pleasure, jealous of how they got to run their hands over the hard, pale, perfect flesh of his friend, while he waited outside the door.

"You _idiot_ ," Sasuke grated out, his voice low and gritty with arousal. "You fucking made me wait all this time. God, I should - "

Naruto didn't fully understand what Sasuke was talking about, since he was pretty sure that he had been the one waiting for this, not Sasuke, but right then he didn't give a crap about the words coming out of Sasuke's mouth or what they meant. He was damn well not going to leave either of them waiting now. Ignoring the fact that they were in a public dance club, not some private party, Naruto tucked three fingers into the front of the waistband of Sasuke's jeans and slid them along until he found the snap holding the jeans closed. He could feel the hard heat of Sasuke's skin against the backs of his fingers, and goose bumps raced up his arm at the contact.

Sasuke drove his tongue back into Naruto's mouth, sucking on Naruto's tongue and drawing it out. Naruto felt the tip of Sasuke's tongue twirl experimentally around the metal stud there, followed by the scrape of his teeth across the metal, tugging at it. Naruto fought to keep his eyes from rolling back in his head and cumming on the spot with the intimacy and thoroughness of Sasuke's kiss. If you could even call this kissing. What they were doing went so far beyond that anemic word.

In an effort to try to take back some control, Naruto flicked the snap of Sasuke's jeans open with his thumb, and slid his hand further down over the ridge of Sasuke's arousal.

"Ngh, _shit_ , Naruto," Sasuke grabbed Naruto's hands to pull them off, but Naruto twisted them free and immediately pulled down the zipper, yanking Sasuke's jeans and boxers in one swift tug down to his mid-thighs. Before Sasuke could right his clothing, Naruto had stumbled to his knees between Sasuke's legs, his warm breath blowing over the impressively hard and prominent erection now free of its confines.

"Wait, we should - _ahn, fuck!_ " Sasuke started, but Naruto was already tracing the head of Sasuke's throbbing cock with his tongue, using the metal stud on his tongue to sharpen the sensation. Any thoughts that Sasuke may have had about avoiding public indecency charges and taking this elsewhere short-circuited in a blast of sheer lust and alcohol-induced loss of inhibition. Sasuke fully acknowledged in that moment that every sexual act he had experienced up until this second had been hollow and tame. Something to take his mind off the fact that he couldn't have the one person he actually wanted. The man who was currently sucking his cock like a pro. And he supposed if he ended up arrested for it, it would be _completely_ worth it. Because after this, there would be no going back. There was no possible doubt of either of them having 'just friends' feelings about each other as of about five minutes ago.

Naruto flicked his tongue over Sasuke's erection, allowing the stud to dip into his slit, and pulling slightly. The intensity of the sensation made Sasuke gasp, and then groan as Naruto pulled his length more fully into his mouth. Again the wicked feel of metal enhanced the sensation as Naruto slid his tongue over the prominent vein from the base to the head, and Sasuke found himself throwing out an arm to brace against the wall for support as his other hand fisted into Naruto's hair.

The sound of footsteps in the hallway just outside the room where they were standing sent a jolt of adrenaline coursing through Sasuke's veins. He heard a girl's laughter, and wondered frantically if they were discovered. Panic added an even keener edge on his already rampant lust.  Naruto pulled him deep and swallowed against his head, and Sasuke could do nothing other than bite back a shout as he came hard down Naruto's throat.

Naruto looked up at the face of the man he had loved for years... actually probably loved in some way since he first met him, though he had been too young to realize it at the time. The black, glazed, lust-filled gaze that looked back at him almost made Naruto cum. He reveled in the fact that he was able to make Sasuke lose control. The look on Sasuke's face when he came was undoubtedly the sexiest thing Naruto had ever seen in his life.

Sasuke finally came back to earth enough to focus on the face looking up at him, and immediately narrowed his eyes at the smug expression of the blond between his legs. Before Naruto knew what was happening, he was yanked up and pressed face-first into the corner of the tiny room, with Sasuke's well-formed fingers making short work of the fastenings of Naruto's trousers and wrapping around the blond's rock-hard, weeping erection. Naruto's head was spinning with the combination of pounding lust and alcohol, heightened further by the thrill of the risk of discovery. He was positively shaking with need.

"S-Sasuke," Naruto gasped as Sasuke was making good use of the slickness of Naruto's precum as a lubricant for his ministrations

"I am going to make you pay for that later. But for now..." Sasuke didn't bother to finish as he began to pump Naruto's erection, flicking his thumb over the drenched slit. "Looks like you're already almost there." Sasuke said huskily.

Naruto couldn't even answer as he felt his balls clench just at the sound of Sasuke's voice and hot breath in his ear. He came hard, spurting against the wall in shuddering waves and groaning out his friend's name.

The stood there for a minute, both breathing hard and trembling slightly, Sasuke's arms still loosely around Naruto. With both their pants partially down, Naruto could already feel Sasuke's erection forming again, pressed against his ass. Without thinking, he pushed back into him, hearing Sasuke curse in response.

Voices just outside in the corridor snapped them both to their senses. "Not here," Sasuke said, pulling up his jeans as Naruto took care of his own. "Let's get out of here. My hotel is about five blocks away."

Naruto nodded, not yet trusting his voice. As they walked out of the coatroom, Sasuke tried to regulate his breathing. He couldn't believe that he had just done this in a public coat room... that didn't even have a fucking _door_.

The guy that Naruto had been dancing with just before Sasuke had grabbed him into the coat room walked up. "Hey, where did you go? I was looking for you," the man said suggestively, giving Sasuke a 'back off I was here first' look.

Naruto didn't have to even glance at Sasuke to feel the waves of possessiveness and intent to kill pumping off him. "Sorry, uh..." Naruto said, stepping back out of the man's reach as the guy tried to put his arm around Naruto and pull him away from Sasuke. "I ran into an old friend. We're heading out."

The man took in the disheveled state of the two in front of him and huffed. "At least I didn't waste my money buying you that drink." With that, he turned and stalked off.

Sasuke took a step forward but Naruto just pulled on his hand. "Can't you think of something better for us to do right now, Sasuke?"

"What the hell were you doing letting some guy like that paw at you," Sasuke said, his voice low and intense in Naruto's ear.

"This from the guy who used the girls in our dorm like a musical chairs game? Please," Naruto snorted, feeling some of the old jealousy boiling up again at just the thought.

Sasuke grabbed him roughly and kissed him hard right in front of the bar, oblivious to the catcalls they received. "I'll stop if you will, then."

"Deal," said Naruto, his breath already coming hard. It wasn't exactly a love confession, Naruto thought to himself, but it was at least a start. Especially now that they were going to different schools. But Naruto didn't want to think about that right then.

He followed Sasuke out of the club into the street. "My hotel's this way," Sasuke said.

Naruto slanted a half-lidded glance at Sasuke that made him fully hard. Sasuke noticed that Naruto wasn't completely steady on his feet as they were walking the short distance to the hotel. "Do you want to stop somewhere and get some coffee?" Sasuke asked. Now that his brain was clearing, he wasn't sure how fast to proceed anymore. They hadn't talked about anything yet. Naruto didn't even know that Sasuke was transferring to Suna. Or that Sasuke had read his songs.

Naruto slid his hand over Sasuke's ass. "Only if you don't mind me bending you over the nearest table in public."

Sasuke stopped dead, then turned snaking his arms around Naruto's waist and pulling him flush against his chest. "If anyone's getting bent over furniture tonight, it's definitely going to be you."

Naruto grinned, considering the notion. "I've never bottomed... you think you can handle me?"

Sasuke smirked, "When did I ever lose to you, Dobe?"

"Bastard," Naruto said, flexing his pelvis so that their clothed and increasingly hard erections brushed against each other. At this point, Naruto didn't really care either way. Top or bottom, if he got to be with Sasuke, it didn't matter.

"Fuck... we're almost there," Sasuke groaned, realizing his words could be taken in more than one way, and both ways were completely accurate..

Sasuke grabbed Naruto's hand, ignoring the looks they got from other pedestrians as he pulled him almost at a run the final block to the hotel. They made it to the room and Sasuke struggled to put the key card into the slot with Naruto's hand doing distracting things down the front of Sasuke's pants.

" _Shit!_ " Sasuke gritted out, wondering what the damages would be if he just kicked the door in. Fortunately, the green light finally flashed and the door unlocked.

The bed was all the way across the room, and Sasuke knew they'd never make it. But there was a sitting area with a couch between them and the bed, and he steered Naruto backwards to that and pushed him down on it. They looked at each other for a suspended minute, both flushed and panting, waiting to see if this was really going to happen, or if one of them was going to come to their senses and pull back.

Naruto sat up and tugged his shirt over his head, not breaking eye contact until the last possible second. Sasuke felt desire pool heavier in his groin at the sight of the taut, golden skin. And the tattoo. He felt a spurt of precum just at the sight. He never really thought he had a thing for 'bad boys', but looking at Naruto, drunk, tattooed, and pierced... yeah, he totally was into this.

Sasuke unbuttoned his own shirt slowly, feeling the tension ratchet up with each button that slid free. The look of raw lust in Naruto's eyes as they followed every flick of his fingers over the buttons gave Sasuke a sense of power. All his doubts about how much Naruto desired him were incinerated by the heat scorching out of blue eyes.

Naruto's cell phone went off. He had tossed it on the floor along with his shirt, and they both looked down at it in annoyance. The caller ID showed 'Yahiko'. "Don't you dare," Sasuke warned.

Naruto smirked and reached for the phone, turning it off. "As if," was all Naruto said as he grabbed Sasuke by the belt loops and pulled him down on top of him.

-xXx-

_to be continued..._

ok, yes I will finish this scene in the next chapter. This isn't one of those 'fade to black' scenes. It's just... this chapter is already crazy long (again!), and I didn't want to make the scene totally short, and I also needed it to flow into the morning after, since that plays an important part as well (because obviously, they haven't talked about _anything_ yet). I can't believe this is taking me 2 chapters to write. I just felt like the first real kiss was really important, and that turned out to lead to a bunch of stuff that I wasn't expecting them to do in the club. These guys... seriously. But... did it work for you?


	12. The morning after

**Author's note:** So... on with the sex. And a little conversation. I also unshackled Itachi from my imaginary bed long enough for him to make a brief appearance. ;-)

-xXx-

_Naruto sat up and tugged his shirt over his head, not breaking eye contact until the last possible second. Sasuke felt desire pool heavier in his groin at the sight of the taut, golden skin. And the tattoo. He felt a spurt of precum just at the sight. He never really thought he had a thing for 'bad boys', but looking at Naruto, drunk, tattooed, and pierced... yeah, he totally was into this._

_Sasuke unbuttoned his own shirt slowly, feeling the tension ratchet up with each button that slid free. The look of raw lust in Naruto's eyes as they followed every flick of his fingers over the buttons gave Sasuke a sense of power. All his doubts about how much Naruto desired him were incinerated by the heat scorching out of blue eyes._

_Naruto's cell phone went off. He had tossed it on the floor along with his shirt, and they both looked down at it in annoyance. The caller ID showed 'Yahiko'. "Don't you dare," Sasuke warned._

_Naruto smirked and reached for the phone, turning it off. "As if," was all Naruto said as he grabbed Sasuke by the belt loops and pulled him down on top of him._

Relief flooded through Sasuke at the tacit rejection of Yahiko. He knew that Yahiko wasn't out of the picture yet, but at least for tonight Naruto had chosen Sasuke.

Sasuke looked down into the still smirking face of his best friend, the enormity of what they were about to do crashing down on him. He wanted Naruto to understand that they were meant to be together this way, that it wasn't just going home with someone after a night of clubbing. A small voice wondered if this were really the right path to take, or if they should wait, but he was nineteen, still slightly intoxicated, and patience wasn't in his sexual vocabulary. Especially as Naruto's hands were tugging Sasuke's unbuttoned shirt off him and tossing it aside.

Instead, Sasuke poured all his emotion into the kiss he brushed across Naruto's mouth, letting his lips softly skim across his lover's once, then twice... his eyes locked onto Naruto's, trying to say what he wasn't able to put into words quite yet. The playful smirk faded from Naruto's face, and Sasuke felt a tremor run through the body beneath him. He felt tan hands slide slowly up his back, tracing the contours of the muscles around his shoulder blades, then coming finally to tangle in his black hair and pull their mouths together with more force.

The kisses they had exchanged in the club had been explosive and desperate. This kiss felt more like a slow, magnetic building of heat. Sasuke felt Naruto's tongue slide over his lips, felt the hard stud of metal press into the seam between them. He opened his lips at the obvious request, again allowing the tip of his tongue to explore the new sensation of kissing someone with a pierced tongue. He wondered if the fascination would ever wear off. The feel of his jeans becoming painfully tight made him think probably not.

He felt Naruto's hands continuing to explore his naked torso, sliding over the muscles of his arms, which were taut with the effort of bracing himself against the couch on either side of Naruto, his elbows bent like he was caught mid push-up.

Naruto was reveling in the feel of Sasuke's hard body, wanting nothing more than to explore every inch with his fingertips and tongue. He had always thought Sasuke was beautiful. But seeing him flushed with passion, his body taut with desire, Naruto felt almost awed by the raw perfection of his friend. And tonight, he was getting to do more than just look. He trailed his tongue along Sasuke's jaw, then sucked small kisses down the pale column of his throat. He felt Sasuke suck in a sharp breath when he got to the juncture between his throat and shoulder, and smiled wolfishly at the discovery of a particularly sensitive spot. He licked forcefully, then blew across the sensitive flesh, seeing the goosebumps spread over the pale, smooth skin. Sasuke gave a low rumble of pleasure in his throat as he arched his neck back. Naruto scraped across the skin with his teeth and swirled his tongue again over the spot, knowing the metal nub would increase the pressure and sensation.

Sasuke thrust his hips against Naruto's in response to the onslaught of pleasure, grinding their clothed erections together and leaving them both breathless. He grabbed Naruto's wrists and yanked them up so they were resting on the armrest of the sofa just brushing the blond's hair at the top of his head. He heard Naruto give a husky laugh and felt an answering smile on his own lips as he nuzzled along Naruto's neck, then along the prominent collar bone, dipping his tongue into the small hollow between bone and muscle at base of the tanned throat.

He could taste the salt of sweat blending with the flavor of Naruto's skin, and he felt his own body temperature spike in an almost chemical response to the unique flavor and scent. He had _never_ been this turned on during sex. Normally, he could go for hours, but he suddenly found himself hoping he could at least make it until they got their pants off.

With that destination suddenly in mind, he pressed Naruto's wrists hard against the armrest as a silent signal for them to 'stay', then ran his hands down the hard muscles of Naruto's arms, over his pectorals, then finally down to the flat plane of his stomach. He could feel Naruto's muscles clench in anticipation, and drew out the moment by tracing the swirling pattern of the tattoo there first with the pads of his fingertips, then with the tip of his tongue. Naruto arched up, desire causing his breath to come out in a strangled sound. Unable to obey Sasuke's silent demand to keep his hands above his head, he instead fisted them in the soft black hair.

Sasuke nipped the edges of Naruto's bellybutton as a reprimand for disobedience, then latched his lips firmly onto the flesh at the side of his navel and sucked harshly, slowly sliding his mouth down and to the side, leaving an elongated hickey down the path to the waistband of Naruto's jeans. His hands easily undid the fastenings of Naruto's jeans for the second time that evening, and he pulled them down just enough for his mouth to be able to come in contact with the sharp, tan hipbone but not yet release Naruto's straining erection. He fastened his teeth around the hip bone and bit, just barely avoiding drawing blood, then laved it with his tongue.

"Holy _fuck_ Sasuke," Naruto's whole body locked up in pleasure and shock at the sharp sensation of pain blending with the raw sexual anticipation created by the proximity of Sasuke's mouth to Naruto's cock. Sasuke hooked his thumbs into the belt loops of Naruto's jeans and slowly pulled them down past his hips as he slid his body up over his lover's.

Naruto felt Sasuke's lips brush against his left nipple, followed by the wet swirl of his tongue. Naruto lifted his hips as Sasuke continued to tug his jeans off, and soon the cool air of the room was touching Naruto's bare body. It struck Naruto that Sasuke had some serious moves as he felt the talented hands and mobile mouth setting his body on fire. And while he was definitely appreciative, it brought back home the extent of Sasuke's experience, and the fact that - except for Sakura - Sasuke was pretty much exclusively a hit and run kind of guy.

The thought was like a bucket of ice water to Naruto. "Wait," he said, grabbing Sasuke's hands to stop their movements before he lost himself again. Earlier he had thought that he didn't care what this meant, as long as he got to be with Sasuke. Maybe he was sobering up, but he realized that that wasn't actually true. If Sasuke kicked him out of his bed right after sex the way he had done with every girl Naruto had seen him with... Naruto just couldn't handle it. He couldn't be just another one-night-stand to Sasuke, no matter how amazing the sex would clearly be.

The conflict and panic must have shown on Naruto's face, because Sasuke was stopping and frowning. "What's wrong?"

"I just... I don't want to be just another fuck to you like all those girls last year... I can't... I want..." Naruto was beyond frustrated with himself. He had wanted this for so long. Now he had Sasuke half naked on top of him, and Naruto was not only messing it up by stopping, but he was being too inarticulate to even explain why. Silently he berated himself. He sounded like a girl. Hadn't he decided earlier that trying to talk was a bad idea? He should have stuck to that decision, but it was too late. Sasuke was already pulling back and sitting up, his dark eyes widening in disbelief and something that almost looked like hurt.

 _Please don't tell me to leave,_ Naruto thought desperately, realizing a little belatedly that the damage would be just as bad if Sasuke kicked him out now as it would have been if he had waited until the deed was done. Worse, maybe, because then Naruto would have to live with the knowledge that he had had one chance to taste this and had blown it.

They stared at each other in silence for a few seconds, one of Sasuke's legs dangling off the side of the couch, the other knee tucked up under his chin as he straddled Naruto.

Naruto wondered if there were any way to take his words back, but knew that he wouldn't even if he could. He needed to know.

When he finally spoke, Sasuke's voice was low and laced with a hint of anger. "How could you even think... God, of all the stupid things I have heard you say since I've known you, comparing yourself to those girls is by far the dumbest. You are _nothing_ like them. And _this_ ," Sasuke said, rolling his hips against Naruto's. "... is not going to end tonight."

Naruto felt exposed and vulnerable in a way he hadn't since the day that Sakura had happily announced that Sasuke had asked her out. This man had the power to completely destroy him, and neither one of them had the best record for relationships. But... Sasuke had at least acknowledged that this was not a one night stand. For either of them. That was enough for tonight. It was a chance.

"Do you want to stop?" Sasuke asked. His voice sounded slightly unsteady to Naruto's ears. Maybe... maybe Sasuke was feeling uncertain, too.

Somehow that thought made Naruto feel more confident. He used one arm to push himself up, and the other to wrap around Sasuke's waist. "No," Naruto said huskily into Sasuke's ear. "I don't want to stop. But if you try to kick me out when we're done tonight, I will fucking castrate you. Believe it."

Sasuke felt his lips twitch at the phrase Naruto always used to shout after whatever crazy thing he'd say when they were kids. It had been years since Naruto had broken himself of the habit. Sasuke had actually missed it.

"Hn, Dobe," Sasuke murmured as Naruto's lips reclaimed the sensitive spot at the base of his neck. Naruto gripped Sasuke's hips and lifted him slightly off to the edge of the sofa so he could remove the last vestiges of clothing that were separating them. Sasuke's jeans hit the floor, and he stood there looking down at Naruto, both of them naked. The only light in the hotel room that they had managed to turn on in their fumbling entrance had been the one in the entryway, but it still gave plenty of light to show both of their heavily aroused states. Naruto was the first to move, taking the palm of his hand and sliding it slowly over the head of Sasuke's erection, then all the way down the shaft to the base. When his hand reached the base, Naruto closed his fingers around it and tugged slightly, pulling Sasuke towards him as Naruto slowly stood, bringing their bodies lightly flush with each other. He ran his other from mid-thigh smoothly up to Sasuke's neck, setting off a series of shivers along the pale flesh.

" _Shit,_ Naruto," Sasuke said, wrapping his arms around Naruto's waist and pulling, pressing their bodies tightly against each other. He slid his hands over the tan globes of Naruto's ass and lifted their hips to grind together. "I don't know what I would have done if you'd said stop," Sasuke admitted, his breath coming harshly at the friction.

Naruto brushed their lips together. "You'd have stopped, Sas."

Sasuke could hear the strength of trust in his friend's voice, and felt as though somehow things had shifted again for them, pieces of their old friendship clicking back into place. A small smile lit his face as he grabbed Naruto's hand. "Let's make it to the bed for the rest of this."

Remembering their brief discussion on the way to the hotel of exactly what 'the rest of this' was going to entail, Naruto felt a small frisson of nerves, but all thoughts of backing out were gone. He figured if bottoming turned out to be horrible, they'd switch it up next time. Or just get really good with blow jobs.

Sasuke had the presence of mind to grab his carry-on and throw it on the foot of the bed. He quickly unzipped it and pulled out a pack of condoms and a bottle of lube. He tossed them onto one of the pillows, and Naruto quirked an eyebrow. "I see someone planned on getting lucky this weekend."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, and pushed Naruto down on the bed, climbing over him. With his foot, Sasuke kicked the small suitcase off the bed out of the way. "Don't make this out to be something casual," Sasuke said, an edge to his voice. "I came here for you."

"I know this isn't casual," Naruto agreed, feeling his blood start to heat again at the intensity in the dark eyes looking down at him. _Came here for me? To the bed? To the club?_ Naruto wasn't sure exactly what Sasuke meant, but he decided there would be time for conversation later, when his head wasn't swimming in desire.

Sasuke held his gaze as he ran his hands up Naruto's hard thighs, making small circles over the sharp hip bones, then sliding his fingers slowly down into the dip of Naruto's stomach. Naruto dropped his gaze, where he could see Sasuke's erection lengthening and rising back to full hardness. The sight caused his own member to respond. Every inch of Sasuke was beautiful. Perfect. Like a sculpture.

Naruto saw Sasuke's hand shake slightly as reached to gently brush Naruto's hair from his forehead, then slowly trace a finger down his cheek. "Naruto," Sasuke's voice was thick with emotion. Naruto was so focused on Sasuke's eyes that he almost jumped when he felt a drop of fluid hit his stomach, and realized it was from Sasuke's weeping erection. "You have no idea how long I've wanted this."

Naruto swallowed, Sasuke's obvious desire feeding his own until he, too, was shaking with it. "Me, too... I've wanted this, too."

"I know," the words were whispered so quietly that Naruto wasn't quite sure he heard them, but Sasuke was kissing him again, their naked bodies pressed together, and coherent thought faded from his mind. Sasuke slid his hand between them and began pumping Naruto's erection. Naruto arched up in response, vaguely hearing a small click from somewhere above him. He opened his eyes to see Sasuke skillfully using one had to open the lube, squirting a liberal amount onto the hand that was not currently wrapped around Naruto's dick.

Seeing Naruto's less than lustful glance at the lube, Sasuke smirked. "You're not _nervous_ , are you Naruto?"

"Pft, yeah, right, Bastard. You'd just better know what you're doing, or I'm flipping your ass over and taking over."

"Is that a challenge, then?" Sasuke asked, his voice predatory.

"You think you're up for it?" Naruto countered.

Sasuke grabbed Naruto's hand, bringing it down to Sasuke's rock-hard, weeping erection. He groaned as he felt the tan fingers close around it. "I'd say I'm more than _up_ for it, Dobe," Sasuke's voice was hoarse with arousal.

Naruto grinned. God, he'd missed this. The banter... he should have figured that even during sex, they'd still find ways to egg each other on. There'd never be anyone else for him but Sasuke. All his nervousness evaporated into the familiar feeling of their old friendship coming back as though the last two years hadn't even happened.

"Then you'd better start moving your lazy ass if you're going to be the one doing the work tonight," Naruto's voice dropped in pitch, and he sent a heavy lidded look at his friend as he twisted his hand teasingly around Sasuke's length.

Sasuke shuddered. "If you make me cum right now just so you can top, I swear..." He wrenched Naruto's hand away and held himself still, breathing through gritted teeth, clearly fighting back his impending orgasm.

He opened his eyes after a frozen minute to find an amused blue gaze looking back at him from a grinning face. "Smile while you can, Usuratonkachi."

Sasuke slid down between Naruto's thighs, pushing the tan knees apart to give him better access. He was so unbelievably turned on that he knew he would probably not last very long, but since this was Naruto's first time bottoming, he wanted it to be good. He took the heel of his palm and pressed it in a rotating motion against Naruto's balls, at the same time swirling his tongue around the head. He heard Naruto hiss and bit back a grin, slowly pulling more of his length into his mouth. He repeated this several times until Naruto was cursing in frustrated desire.

Slowly he slipped two lubed fingers inside. He felt Naruto's body tense at the intrusion, and deep throated Naruto, increasing the suction as he slid his mouth up and down Naruto's cock to provide a distraction to the slightly uncomfortable sensation. He shifted his fingers inside, trying to find the spot that would make this much more enjoyable for both of them.

"Ahn, _fuck_ , Sasuke!"

 _Found it._ Sasuke smirked.

He lifted his head off Naruto's arching body to be able to see his expression. The look of shock on Naruto's face as Sasuke brushed over his prostate confirmed this was Naruto's first time receiving. Sasuke wasn't proud of the possessive emotion that surged through him at the knowledge, but he couldn't deny he was glad that at least some piece of Naruto would belong to only him. Naruto had been his first real kiss, but he hadn't been Naruto's. This made them even, in some way.

Sasuke added a third finger, his free hand continuing to pump Naruto's erection, but he kept his head up so he could watch his friend's pleasure. The sight of Naruto's head thrown back, his white teeth sunk into his pink lower lip made Sasuke almost delirious with the need to be inside him. He had spent years fantasizing about having Naruto writhing beneath him.

 _Almost... almost... don't rush this..._ Sasuke said the words like a mantra to hold himself back. He could feel sweat breaking out on his brow and trickling between his shoulder blades with the effort of restraint. He wasn't sure how much longer he could hold out. Luckily, Naruto relieved him of that decision.

"Don't get performance anxiety on me now, Sas," Naruto panted, his fists twisting in the sheets. "If you're not... _ahn..._ sure what comes next, I'll be happy to flip you over and... _hah_... show you how it's done."

Somehow Naruto's taunt went straight to Sasuke's cock. Why did his lover being a smart-ass turn him on this much? If he thought he could have come back with a retort without stammering through his lust, he would have. Instead, he simply took the condom and opened it with his teeth and rolled it on with one hard stroke.

He settled for a "Hn," as the best he could do.

He positioned himself at Naruto's entrance, locking eyes with Naruto's to read his expression as he slowly began driving in, lifting Naruto's legs by his knees. He felt Naruto tense at the vast difference in size between Sasuke's three fingers and his cock. Blue eyes widened.

" _Fffffccckkk,"_ was all Naruto could get out, his hands gripping the straining muscles in Sasuke's forearms.

"It's ok. Just breathe," Sasuke said. All of Sasuke's previous lovers had been more experienced than himself. He had never had to reassure anyone. To be honest, he'd never wanted to. But this time was different. This time mattered. And even though the almost unbearably tight heat surrounding him had brought him to within an inch of climax again, he held himself back and tried to just focus on Naruto, giving his lover's body time to adjust.

Naruto felt an almost unbearable tightness, but kept his gaze fixed on Sasuke's, feeling the depth of emotion flowing between them. It wasn't just lust on Sasuke's face now. Through the years, Naruto had become an expert at reading the 'expressionless' Uchiha eyes. And what was in the black orbs now... was something deep and aching. Something he never thought he'd read there. He felt his body respond and the tightness eased somewhat.

"It's ok now," Naruto said, still breathing harshly but releasing his death grip on Sasuke's arms, though likely leaving bruises.

Sasuke nodded, then slowly pulled out and thrust back in, remembering the spot he had found earlier and aiming dead on.

Any residual discomfort Naruto had about the situation was vaporized by the intense sensation of pleasure that exploded inside him. Why the hell had he been afraid of _this?_   " _Ahn_ , right there, Sasuke, _Fuck, yes_!"

" _Mnh_ , Naruto, oh god," Sasuke groaned, relieved as hell that he didn't have to hold still anymore, because he definitely couldn't. He slowly began to pick up the pace, not sure how much Naruto could handle his first time.

"Sasuke, you pussy!" Naruto panted, his voice hoarse from pleasure. "Is that all you've got?"

Sasuke laughed darkly. God he fucking _loved_ Naruto. He felt that word echo in his mind, and knew it to be true. Without warning, he withdrew fully and flipped Naruto over onto his knees. "Hold on, then, if you're man enough to take it." And with that he thrust into Naruto to the hilt, making them both groan in pleasure. He set up a pounding pace, slamming in to full depth with each thrust.

" _OhgodyesfuckSas_!" was ripped from Naruto's throat.

Sasuke couldn't even form words to respond in kind. He felt the tension coiling in his stomach and new he wouldn't last much longer. He drove into Naruto, desperate to bring Naruto to release first as he focused on keeping the shreds of his control together long enough. He felt the inner walls of Naruto constrict as he started to cum, and Sasuke threw his head back in a hoarse shout of Naruto's name as he finally allowed himself to crash over the edge. He collapsed half on and half next to Naruto on the bed, his arms loosely holding the blond as their systems found equilibrium again.

 _Oh, yeah... the real thing was way better than any substitute._ The thought flickered across Sasuke's mind, and he was grateful that they hadn't turned the lights on in the bedroom, so his blush was concealed. God he'd been such an idiot. He'd always considered himself the smarter of the two. If he had been, they could have been doing this the past two years instead of all the bullshit that had happened instead.

He nuzzled the back of Naruto's neck, which was damp with sweat. "Mmmm," he said, trying to get words to come out. He felt his eyes drifting closed. He'd never felt this exhausted and satiated after sex. He felt like he'd run a marathon or climbed Mt. Everest. Then again, he'd never cum that hard either. His last thought before sleep overtook him was how different sex was when you cared about the person you were with.

Naruto was still floating, listening to the rhythmic breathing of the man spooning against him, still trying to believe this had actually happened. "Sasuke... you awake?" Naruto asked, already knowing the answer. He smiled softly at the silence he got in return. He'd missed sleeping with Sasuke, even platonically. Missed the closeness, missed everything. A shadow flickered over his face as he considered that Sasuke would likely have to fly back in a day or two. Classes would be starting up again. Being in a long-distance relationship would suck. But they'd make it work. They'd finally gotten this far, and Naruto wasn't going to let something like distance mess it up. He knew they should get up and shower off, but the best he could do was grab some tissues from the nightstand and wipe them both off before he, too, succumbed to sleep.

-xXx-

The sound of a phone ringing dragged Naruto from the depths of the comatose sleep he had been in. There was an unfamiliar pain in his lower back as he reached his hand clumsily for the source of the annoying sound.

"Hmelloh?" He hoped the word was recognizable enough to whoever was calling him at whatever godforsaken hour it was. He didn't open his eyes to even find out the time.

" _Is this... Naruto_?" a familiar voice said.

The gears in Naruto's brain were not making full contact with each other yet, but he recognized that voice. "Itachi? What... why are you calling me?"

An amused voice came through the phone. _"I'm not. I'm calling Sasuke. Should I guess what you are doing with his phone, clearly just waking up_?"

Naruto's eyes flew open at those words. "Oh, _shit_!"

Naruto looked at the phone in his hands. Nope. Not his. The events of last night came crashing back to him, along with the realization of the source of hard warmth that was still lying motionless next to him in the massive bed. He turned his head, and... sure enough. Black hair and a pale, toned back met his gaze.

It had not been a dream. But then...

"Ah, Itachi? You still there?"

Was it possible to _hear_ a shit-eating grin from over the phone? Naruto decided that Itachi's mental prowess had finally evolved to its natural conclusion, and the man now had all-out telepathy as the image of Itachi's grin was seared into Naruto's brain.

"Did you... need to speak with Sasuke?" Naruto asked awkwardly, his face flushed beet red in embarrassment.

Was that a snicker? Did Itachi just actually _snicker_?

" _No, Naruto-kun. Whatever questions I may have had for my adorable little brother have already been answered. You can go back to bed now."_

With that, the call ended. Naruto stared at the phone. Was this a good thing, or a bad thing?

Did Itachi know that Sasuke was... gay, or bi, or whatever?

Naruto remembered the taste of alcohol on his friend's mouth last night.

Did _Sasuke_ know that Sasuke was gay, bi, or whatever? Or had this been... an accident? Could you accidentally grab your best friend and have sex with him if you weren't at least bi? Naruto felt his panic starting to well up, thinking about all their past conversations about this subject and wondering how much of a shock this morning was going to be for his friend. He looked over at Sasuke, still sleeping like the dead. He really wished he would wake up.

Naruto poked Sasuke with his toe. No response. He remembered that Sasuke had always been a heavy sleeper. And they had been up pretty late, and drinking. Naruto still felt tired, but his brain was buzzing with too many questions for him to be able to go back to sleep. He decided he'd go take a shower, and wait for Sasuke to wake up. His stomach growled. He thought about ordering room service, but knew it would be insanely expensive.

He grabbed his phone to check his messages. Three missed calls from Yahiko from last night, and one vmail. He listened to the vmail.

" _Naruto. We need to talk. I know you are still pissed off, but the record company wants to meet to talk about plans for another album. The royalties from the pre-sales on the album have come in, and I think you'll be pretty excited. You can pick up your check tomorrow. We have a meeting with the rep from the recording company at 11am. I can give you a ride. Call me."_

Naruto looked at the clock. It was 9:45am already. _Shit._ Naruto didn't want to see Yahiko, and he didn't really think he was interested in working with them on another album. But he did want to get paid. He owed Gaara and Shika his part of last month's rent. They had been nice about it, but he felt like shit.

He knew he couldn't just leave without talking to Sasuke. Images of Sasuke stalking him with a katana dripping with blood flashed across his mind. Yes, leaving without saying a word would be a _very_ bad idea.

Naruto went and turned on the shower. He scrubbed himself off, allowing the hot water to relieve some of his aches. But he didn't linger as long as he wanted to. Instead, he dried himself off, and pulled on his jeans from the other night.

He walked back to the bedroom, where Sasuke was still sleeping. Naruto watched him for a few minutes, studying the peaceful expression on his face, feeling it tug at his heart. He lay down next to Sasuke, his bare chest soaking in the heat of Sasuke's back. "Sasuke," Naruto said, sliding his arms around him. Black eyes slowly opened and focused on him. Naruto felt a slow flush creep up his cheeks at the lust he saw growing in the onyx eyes.

"You've already showered," Sasuke said, slightly questioning as he pulled Naruto tighter to him, breathing in his clean scent.

"Yeah. Itachi called this morning. I accidentally answered your phone, and he... um... didn't exactly seem... surprised?" Naruto wasn't sure if Sasuke would be mad or embarrassed. His relationship with Itachi had always been deep but complicated.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "He's the one who packed the lube," he muttered.

"What!?"

Sasuke looked at Naruto. "Do you remember what I said last night, that I came here for you?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, but I guess I thought you meant, like, to the club. Or the hotel."

Sasuke shrugged. "Those, too. But why did you think I was in Suna in the first place?"

"Well, one of your branch offices is here, right? I remember Itachi would make trips out here sometimes. I guess I just figured... you were here on business."

Sasuke considered how much to admit to right now. After the events of last night he didn't want to risk anything going wrong. He also didn't want to scare the hell out of Naruto and come off like some stalker. "I'm taking over operations of the Suna branch next year. In the meantime, I've transferred to Suna University to finish my degree."

Naruto felt relief surge through him at the thought that Sasuke wasn't leaving.

"I almost went to New York instead," Sasuke continued. Naruto felt his stomach drop at the words, but Sasuke was already continuing, "Because I thought you'd be there with Jiraya."

Naruto sat there, trying to read between the lines of what Sasuke was saying. "But then I saw the video, and the interview. And I found out you were in Suna, not New York."

"So..." Naruto said, not quite wanting to say it out loud, in case he was misunderstanding this.

"Like I said, Dobe. I came here for you," Sasuke's voice was soft, and Naruto wasn't really sure what to say. Given how they had parted, this seemed to come out of nowhere, but he wasn't going to question it. Whether Sasuke had originally come to just resume their friendship and things had gotten out of hand, or if he had intended all this from the start, Naruto didn't know. Itachi's reaction would imply it was the latter, but that didn't make any sense to Naruto.

"Sasuke, I don't understand. You wouldn't have anything to do with me for the entire year before I transferred. Ever since -"

Just then Naruto's phone went off. " _Shit_ , I have to take this." He picked it up, knowing who it was. "Yahiko, I got your messages. I'll be there at 11. You don't need to pick me up. I'll take a cab or something. I don't want a ride from you." Naruto hung up.

"Problems?" Sasuke asked, trying to keep the edge from his voice.

"Yahiko has my paycheck for the first set of royalties from the album. He says I have to meet him at 11am with the rep from the label to get it. And I owe Shika and Gaara rent, so..."

Sasuke nodded. "So you have to go. I have a meeting with a realtor at 11:30 who is going to help me find an apartment close to campus."

"I thought first and second year students had to live in the dorms?"

"I was a late transfer, and the dorms are full. Plus, I placed out of a bunch of classes and doubled down on my course load, so technically I'm in my final year this year."

"Wow," Naruto said, honestly impressed, though not surprised. Sasuke had always been amazing at school. "So... you're staying?"

Sasuke nodded. "That's what I'm trying to tell you." He reached over and brushed a hand across Naruto's cheek, then stood and walked over to the desk and opened the room service menu. Naruto noticed Sasuke's right hand as he did.

"What are the bruises on your hand from?"

Sasuke briefly thought about his discussion with Sai in the alley. "Must have just hit my hand on something the other night," he said casually.

Naruto realized Sasuke was not going to tell him who he hit. "Ok, whatever. So... will you call me when you're done with your realtor, and maybe we could... get lunch or talk or... you can explain to me what the hell is going on because I am totally lost here."

"Leave me your number. But you have to stay for breakfast. I'll get you a cab to wherever you need to go."

"I have to go back to my place first. I need at least a clean shirt."

"You can borrow one of mine. You're not leaving without breakfast," Sasuke said. As if on cue, Naruto's stomach growled.

"Pushy," Naruto grumbled.

Sasuke smirked, "I promised Shikamaru I'd feed you breakfast."

Naruto's blush returned full force. "Fucking hell. Does _everyone_ know we had sex last night?"

-xXx-

_to be continued..._

Why can I never write a lemon less than like 5k words? I am too wordy. Grr. I need to describe things less or something. Dunno...

ANYWAY, so I have to say that my favorite part of this chapter was the phone call with Itachi, not the lemon. Does that make me weird(er)?


	13. Boyfriends

-xXx-

_Sasuke smirked, "I promised Shikamaru I'd feed you breakfast."_

_Naruto's blush returned full force. "Fucking hell. Does_ everyone _know we had sex last night?"_

Sasuke pulled Naruto's face to his, thrusting his tongue unapologetically into the blond's mouth. Given that Sasuke was still naked, Naruto could clearly feel the reaction the kiss had on his friend's body, and felt an answering hardness in his own. After a few seconds, Sasuke pulled back slightly.

"Are you uncomfortable with everyone knowing?" Sasuke asked, his voice serious.

"No... I mean, all my friends know I'm bi. At this point, pretty much the whole world knows. I'm just feeling... a little over-exposed in terms of my sex life lately, I guess," Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "That stupid video. Shikamaru said you didn't know, but seriously... you must have been on the set. Didn't you see the fucking cameras?"

Naruto pushed away, walking over to the bed. "Oh, so now all of a sudden you're going to give a shit about me? You blew me off for two years. Don't think you can come in now and lecture me on anything."

"What, last night was me not giving a shit and ignoring you?" Sasuke said sounding annoyed but seemingly unconcerned about his nudity.

"Last night was sex. And we were drunk," Naruto said defensively, and immediately regretted his words when he saw how Sasuke's face closed up.

"So are you saying you regret it? Are you going to try to tell me it was all just sex now? Or that it wouldn't have happened if we were sober?" Sasuke said, his voice hard.

"No... neither, it... wasn't like that. It did surprise me, but I don't regret it," Naruto paused, and took a breath, looking nervous and uncertain. "Do you?"

"No. Like I said, Naruto. I came here for you."

"What does that even mean, Sasuke? You basically didn't talk to me for two years. You were fucking everyone BUT me in college. Now you show up out of the blue and seem like... like you like me or something."

Sasuke kept his gaze locked on Naruto's and stalked over to stand just in front of him. "I think that if there is one thing that last night should have made clear, it's that I like you. And you like me." Sasuke's voice dropped a bit, and he slid the back of his index finger over the hard ridge in Naruto's jeans.

Naruto sucked in a breath. "How are we supposed to have any kind of conversation with you naked? I can't keep any blood in my brain," Naruto closed his eyes, and snaked a hand around Sasuke's back, pulling their bodies flush. He took a deep breath, drawing in the heady scent of Sasuke and remnants of last night's activities.

"I don't understand how this is all happening after all this time," Naruto said, unable to stop himself from kissing at the base of Sasuke's neck, feeling the response in both their bodies at the touch. "You never..."

There was a knock on the door. _"Room service,"_ a muffled voice said.

They both jumped apart.

"Just a minute!" Naruto called out to the room attendant, his eyes looking a bit wild, like he'd just gotten caught at something he wasn't supposed to be doing.

Sasuke calmly reached into his suitcase and pulled out a neatly folded black T-shirt. Rather than simply handing it to Naruto, he walked over and pulled it over the blond's head.

"Hey, Bastard! I know how to put my own shirt on," Naruto huffed

"Hn," Sasuke said, a small smirk on his face. "It looks good on you, Dobe. Get the door while I go rinse off."

Sasuke walked to the bathroom. Naruto's eyes followed his movements before he forced himself to move and open the door and open the door for room service. A small table was wheeled in, with an assortment of fruit, bacon, eggs, toast, and cereal. Naruto chuckled. Sasuke must have just ordered up the entire menu. A pang of almost homesickness went through him as he remembered back to all the times when Sasuke and Itachi and he would be in their kitchen back in Konoha making breakfast together before school. It was the closest Naruto had ever felt to being part of an actual family. And he had ached at its absence over the past two years.

As the room attendant left, Naruto heard the shower turn on. Looking at his watch, he realized he had to leave in less than ten minutes, or he'd be late for his meeting with the record company to get his paycheck. "Sasuke! I'm going to eat some of this, ok?" he shouted through the door.

"That's what I ordered it for, Dobe," came the muffled reply.

"And you're totally a coward for hiding in the shower when you didn't answer my question. You'd better call me when you're done looking for an apartment today."

"Leave me a phone number that I can actually reach you at and I will."

Naruto rolled his eyes, then wrote out his cell number on the pad of paper on the hotel desk. He remembered how long Sasuke always took in the shower, so he knew not to bother waiting. He shoveled some of the food in, glad he never suffered ill effects from drinking. "Ok, I'm leaving. You better call me, asshole."

"I always call you an asshole," Sasuke said from the shower.

"Prick," Naruto muttered, grabbing his phone, making sure the ringer was turned on, then heading out the door.

He had just walked out the front door of the hotel when a black Stingray pulled up. The window rolled down, but Naruto didn't need to look inside to see who was driving.

"Get in. If you walk you'll be late," Yahiko said, his face expressionless.

"I told you I'd take a cab."

"Don't be stupid. I'm here. Just get in the fucking car."

Naruto sighed. People were staring, and a few had recognized Yahiko. This was going to escalate into a scene if Naruto didn't get in, so he jerked open the door and sat down. "How did you even know I was here?"

"Sai told me. He said he saw you at a club last night, and you left with some black-haired guy. Anyone I know?"

Naruto just looked out the window in silence. He thought he'd felt someone watching him at the club. He really needed to have a talk with Sai. But for now, he was focusing on ignoring Yahiko. Which was no small feat since the man had a presence that could fill a stadium. Literally.

"Oh, that's mature," Yahiko said, his voice slightly taunting.

"Yeah, so is using a sex tape without permission as a publicity stunt," Naruto snapped back.

"I had your permission. You signed the form."

"You know that's bullshit, Yahiko. If you're going to be an ass, at least own it."

Yahiko glanced over at Naruto, then sighed.

"Look. I'm sorry, ok? The song was about you, and when you were watching me singing... things just got carried away. I had told Sai to video everything that happened that night, but I hadn't though we'd end up... like that. I thought it would be more you just watching me. But then I saw the footage, and it was fucking amazing. You were amazing. And the video just looked great, and I knew it would be a big hit. I didn't know that you and Nagato would be so pissed off about it."

Naruto almost choked in disbelief. "You're kidding right? If you actually expect me to believe that you 'forgot' that Sai had set up cameras everywhere, then you've got a pretty low opinion of me. I'm not _that_ naive. And the whole reason you didn't ask me directly about the video before it was released is because you knew I wouldn't agree. So don't pretend to be all surprised that it pissed me off. You used me. I'm not mad about what happened between the two of us, because we both wanted it. But the video was out of line." Naruto huffed out a breath, but then continued. "Even so, though, I'm sorry about things being bad between you and Nagato. I'll talk to him. You guys go back a long way, and it would be a shame to lose that kind of friendship over something like this."

Yahiko was silent a bit as they drove down the street. "I wasn't using you, you know. I really am attracted to you. More than just physically."

Naruto laughed. "Oh, yeah. I could totally tell by the way you called me after it all, and the way you asked my permission to use the footage of us together," Naruto's voice dripped with sarcasm.

They pulled into the parking lot of the studio. "Look, Naruto," Yahiko said, turning off the engine and turning to face him. "I'm sorry. I'm so used to being around people who would do anything to be in a video, or to get with the band, that it didn't even occur to me that you wouldn't be that way. And Nagato told me he'd kill me if I called you or touched you again when he found out what happened. So I didn't call. Like you said, he and I go way back." Yahiko's voice softened at his last words.

Naruto just looked at him, he could see the hurt and sadness in Yahiko's eyes at his mention of his rift with Nagato. Naruto was reminded of how he had felt about losing Sasuke. Nagato and Yahiko had the same sort of bond. He opened the door and got out of the car. "I'll talk to Nagato. But we're done. I'm flattered that you said that you liked me more than just casually, but we both know that's a crock." Naruto walked to the entrance of the building, and Yahiko followed.

When the reached the elevator, Naruto could see the reflection in the shiny steel door of Yahiko looking at his back and glaring. "What?" Naruto said as he turned around.

"Looks like your new boyfriend is a little possessive. Did you tell him you were meeting with me?"

"Of course. Why would I lie? This is just business," Naruto said, turning back to the elevator door as it opened, assuming Yahiko had seen one of the many hickeys that Sasuke had marked him with the night before.

Yahiko shoved him inside and pressed him up against the wall of the elevator. "Just business?"

Yahiko didn't actually press their bodies together, but Naruto could feel the heat between them. Yahiko had his hands braced on either side of Naruto's head, their eyes locked together.

"Just business, Yahiko. If you'd wanted anything more, you should have played it differently," Naruto said, glad when he succeeded in keeping his voice steady. He couldn't deny that he found Yahiko attractive. But he had no intention of ever acting on those feelings again. Even if Sasuke weren't back in his life, there was no future with someone like Yahiko. At least, not romantically.

Some of his resolve must have shown in his eyes, because Yahiko stepped back. The door of the elevator opened and they stepped out.

Naruto was surprised to see Nagato there along with the person from the record company.

"Nagato," Naruto said, breaking into a smile and trying to distract the older man's glare that was directed at Yahiko. "It's good to see you. What are you doing here?"

"I found out that Yahiko requested that they hold your check so that he could deliver it to you personally instead of just mailing it. So I wanted to swing by and make sure that he didn't pressure you into... anything," Nagato's glare shifted back to Yahiko.

"I didn't pressure him into anything before, Nagato," Yahiko said calmly. Nagato stepped forward. Naruto came between them, putting his hand on Nagato's chest.

"He's right, Nagato. It's fine. I was stupid, but he didn't push me into anything. It was a one-time thing, and it's done. Don't let this destroy your friendship. It's totally not worth that," Naruto said, feeling incredibly guilty that a moment of stupidity on his part was tearing these two life-long friends apart.

Nagato looked at Naruto. "But the video..."

"Is embarrassing, but doesn't really matter. It's not like I have family somewhere that's going to be upset about it. And it will be totally forgotten soon enough. Just... don't worry about it. I'm pissed at Yahiko about it, but that's between him and me. I'm really ok."

Nagato looked at Yahiko for a moment, then turned to the woman from the record company. "Give Naruto his check. He doesn't need to stay for conversation if he doesn't want to."

The woman nodded, clearly uncomfortable with the level of tension in the room between the two older men. "Here you go, kid. This is just the beginning... the real money will come after the first two months of sales have come through. Royalties will be paid quarterly after that."

Naruto just took the envelope without opening it and nodded, looking nervously between Yahiko and Nagato.

"I'll drive you home," Nagato said flatly.

"Don't you even want to hear her offer about songs for the next album?" Yahiko said, asking Naruto but still looking at Nagato.

"Not right now, Yahiko," Naruto said, trying to quickly diffuse the situation. "School's going to start next week, and I need to move into the dorms this weekend. I'll think about it, and let you know. But right now, I just want to get home. I owe my roommates rent for the past month, and I want to let them know that I'll be able to pay them back."

Nagato shot another glare at Yahiko, who simply sighed.

Naruto and Nagato stepped into the elevator. "Thanks," Naruto said softly. "I appreciate that you are looking out for me. But really... it's ok. The thing between Yahiko and me was just stupid. It shouldn't ruin your friendship."

"He shouldn't have done it."

"No. He shouldn't. And neither should I. I might be younger, but I'm still an adult. Don't hate him for this, Nagato. I don't want to carry the guilt of ruining your friendship over something so stupid. The brief thing with Yahiko, whatever it was, is over and it won't happen again."

"Yahiko can be very persuasive," Nagato said, a trace of bitterness in his voice.

Naruto laughed. "I know, believe me. But it takes two to tango. And I can honestly say that I am not interested anymore. And whatever you can say about Yahiko, he would never force himself on someone. If I'm not interested, then he will back off. It's not like he doesn't have a million other takers. You know him well enough for that."

Nagato smiled slightly. "That's true. For his pride alone, Yahiko would never push anyone into something they didn't want to do with him."

"Then please just let it go, Nagato. You've been mad at him long enough. He misses you."

Nagato just looked at Naruto, then smiled. "You're so much like him, you know."

Naruto looked blankly at Nagato. "Like Yahiko?"

Nagato seemed to shake himself out of his thoughts. "No. Someone else. From a long time ago."

Nagato turned to face the elevator doors, clearly shutting off the conversation, leaving Naruto wondering what he had been referring to, and somehow knowing it was important.

-xXx-

Nagato had asked Naruto to come over and hang out with Deidara, Zetsu, and Hidan, but Naruto had been too focused on his upcoming 'talk' with Sasuke, so he had asked Nagato to just drop him off at his apartment, which Nagato had done.

But after several hours of pacing around, checking his cell phone every few minutes, Naruto was beginning to wish he had taken Nagato up on his offer. How many apartments in walking distance of campus could there really be? And how long did it take to just pick one and get it over with? He tried passing the time by packing up his stuff, but he didn't have that much of it and in an hour it was all packed into three boxes. He looked out the kitchen window and saw Shikamaru lying on his back in the grass in the lawn behind the house.

He walked out and lay down next to the brunette, wincing slightly at the soreness in his backside.

Shikamaru had watched him approach silently, but now said, "So I take it Sasuke found you last night."

Naruto turned to stare at his friend. "Why would you think that?"

Shikamaru chuckled. "Well, you clearly are having a little trouble sitting. And of course, there is the T-shirt. After the video came out, I figured it was only a matter of time."

"Ummm... ok, why would you assume that Sasuke would come looking for me after the video came out?"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Because he's been wanting to bang you since you were about fourteen. I was really surprised he managed to hold out this long."

"What? What are you talking about. Sasuke was straight in high school..." Naruto trailed off, realizing that statement had clearly been disproven last night. Quite vigorously.

Shikamaru clearly didn't feel that the sheer stupidity of the comment even deserved a response.

Naruto tried again. "I mean, he's not straight _now_ , I guess, but when he was dating Sakura -"

"Probably to get you to see she was not everything you made her out to be."

"But he was kissing her -"

"Because after you kissed him you started avoiding him and he probably thought you were freaked out about anything to do with gay."

Naruto paused at that. He had told Shikamaru about the kiss when he had asked what had really happened between Sasuke and Naruto. When Sakura had called, Naruto had clearly been uninterested, and evidently Shikamaru had realized that the old theory about why Naruto and Sasuke had stopped being friends wasn't correct.

Naruto gaped. "You have to be fucking kidding me."

"Well, it's pretty clear neither of you actually liked her, but what did he say about it this morning?"

Naruto shifted uncomfortably. "Well, I kind of had this meeting with Yahiko this morning, and -"

"Oh, god. Don't tell me that you left before he woke up."

"No! Of course not! But we didn't have a lot of time to talk things through, and Itachi called, and then we talked a little but... I gave him my number and told him to call me when he was done apartment hunting," Naruto said, feeling a little defensive.

Shikamaru stood up. "I can't take this right now. You have been pining for each other for years, and you still just... I feel my IQ is in danger of dropping by proxy. Come see me again AFTER you and Sasuke actually talk things out."

Something that Shikamaru said earlier came back to Naruto.

"Hey, how did you know this shirt was Sasuke's? I have tons of black T-shirts."

"Yeah, but none with the Uchiha family symbol on the back."

"What the fuck?!" Naruto twisted around, pulling the shirt so he could see the back. Sure enough. There was a _huge_ , red and white lollipop-looking-fan-thing. Naruto glowered. No wonder Sasuke hadn't just handed him the shirt. Naruto would have seen it and never worn it. So Sasuke had just jammed it on his head instead.

"He just wanted to be sure Yahiko knew who's property you were now," Shikamaru said, smirking a bit at how disgruntled Naruto looked about the whole thing.

"I'm no one's fucking property! Besides, if he cared that much then why doesn't he fucking call me?"

Shikamaru sighed. "I don't know, Naruto. Maybe it took longer than expected. Maybe his cell is out of batteries. Maybe he couldn't read your chicken-scratch handwriting."

"Maybe you blocked my fucking number," a cold voice said from behind them.

Naruto snapped his head around. "Teme! Where the hell have you been? Why didn't you call me! It can't have taken this long to look for a stupid apartment."

Shikamaru stood, dusting the grass off his ass. "I have... other things to do. Later." He walked past Sasuke with a mock salute to the both of them.

Naruto and Sasuke nodded vaguely to the brunette, still eyeing each other with a mixture of hostility and vulnerability.

Sasuke threw his phone at Naruto, who luckily had fast enough reflexes to catch it before the $500 device smashed to the ground. "Go ahead. Call your number from my phone." Sasuke's tone was seething.

Naruto looked at Sasuke a minute, then punched in his number. His phone didn't ring. He listened to the message from Sasuke's phone, and his eyes widened.

"But... but I never blocked your number. Why would I have blocked it? It's not like you ever tried to call me. Even when I got fucking _arrested_ you didn't even try to call me," Naruto could feel his old hurt and anger pumping back up.

"Oh? How would you know. You blocked my fucking number. I tried to call you the next day. And repeatedly after that. But I couldn't get through, could I?" Sasuke said, cold anger oozing from every word.

"How could you have called me? You didn't even have my number," Naruto said, feeling like he had caught Sasuke in a lie, which pissed him off. But at the same time, he was confused by the irrefutable proof that Sasuke's number was blocked from his phone.

"Yeah, that's right. You changed your cell so I couldn't even talk to you. Until you texted me the night you got expelled. Where you so scared of talking things out that you had to try to cut all possible ties with me?" They were shouting at each other now.

"I texted you? I don't really remember... I got kind of wasted that night at Nagato's," Naruto paused, trying to think back. It had been a really bad day. He remembered just wanting to drown himself.

"Yeah, that seems to be a bit of a new hobby of yours. Getting high and wasted. How's that working out for you?" Sasuke sneered.

"You didn't seem to have a problem with it last night. Besides, you're one to talk, Mr. 'I fuck anything that comes within five feet of my dick'. Was that what last night was about, too?"

The next thing Naruto knew, he was flying through the air and landed on his back. While Naruto was still trying to get his wind back, Sasuke sat across his hips, straddling them and pinning him down.

Sasuke grabbed his phone back from Naruto, and scrolled through his old texts to the ones from nine months ago, the night Naruto had left. He pushed the screen in Naruto's face. "Tell me you didn't get those. It says they were delivered. This was before you blocked me. But the next morning, I tried to call and couldn't get through."

Naruto grabbed the phone and scrolled through. His eyes widened as he read, and he felt his anger bleeding out of him.

_Naruto? Is that you?_

_I'm sorry I wasn't here when you left_

_I had no idea they'd kick you out_

_Neji said you were upset_

_Are you ok?_

_I went to see Sora. I wanted to kick his ass for what he did_

_I really wish you had talked to me about it_

_Naruto?_

_I'm going to go see the dean tomorrow with Neji_

_We're going to try to get your expulsion reversed_

_Naruto_

_Please call me_

_I really want to talk_

"But.. I never got these," his voice was full of confusion and remembered hurt. Naruto pulled out his own phone and scrolled through. Neither boy was much into texting, so it wasn't too hard to find the old messages. Naruto turned his phone to Sasuke. "I didn't get them, Sas. I swear. If I had..." _it would have meant everything._ Naruto couldn't say it. It was all too raw. "I thought... when you didn't come to the station, I though you had just written me off. I knew things had been bad, but... damn, that fucking hurt. I would have done anything to help you, if the situation had been reversed. I would never have just left you in jail for someone you barely knew to come bail you out."

Sasuke slid off Naruto, his anger also dissipating at the truthfulness of Naruto's words reflected in his face, and rolled onto his back on the grass next to Naruto. "I didn't just leave you. I went to find Sora," Sasuke said softly. He had realized that it had been a mistake to not go with Neji to the jail. But he had been so full of anger when he had found out about Sora. And he hadn't known that would be his last chance to see Naruto for almost a year.

Naruto sat up with a lurch. "You... why?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at him. "You know why. He date raped you. And you still helped the bastard out, and landed in jail for it. I wanted to _kill_ that guy."

Naruto just looked at Sasuke, his eyes wide. "Um... is he ok?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I didn't actually kill him, if that's what you're asking, you idiot."

"So... what did you do?"

"I... might have pounded him into the wall of his dorm room. But I left him alone after that."

Naruto released a breath. "I'm glad you didn't hurt him too much."

Sasuke glared at him. "Why? He deserved anything he got as far as I'm concerned."

"It wasn't like that Sasuke. We were... almost dating. I was just trying to get over... someone... before I got into a relationship with him. We just got our signals crossed, and he pushed things too fast too soon. I ended out friendship because of it. But he really wasn't a bad guy."

Sasuke snorted. He caught the 'someone' comment, and had a pretty good idea now who that someone was. But he wanted to clarify something first about Sora before they got to that. "You are a complete idiot, Naruto. He absolutely was a _'bad guy_.'"

Naruto snickered. Sasuke glared, "What."

"You're so cute when you play the jealous boyfriend thing. But you know..." Naruto narrowed his eyes. "I am going to have to kick your ass for knocking me down like that."

"Like you could," Sasuke said.

"Sas, if there was one thing I was always better than you at, it was fighting."

"Hn," Sasuke said non-committally. It _might_ be true, but it was not something Sasuke would ever admit. "Boyfriend, huh?" Sasuke said with a seemingly casual tone. "Are you asking me out or something?"

Naruto looked down at where Sasuke was still lying in the grass. "Maybe."

Sasuke smirked. "Why only maybe?"

"Weelll," Naruto drawled. "I'm not really sure I want to date an asshole. But, I guess you're sort of hot, and the sex was pretty decent so..."

Sasuke grabbed Naruto's shirt (which was actually his shirt) and yanked him down on top of him. "Just pretty decent?"

"Get a room, guys," Shikamaru called from out the kitchen window.

Naruto reluctantly stood up, and offered a hand to Sasuke. He clasped it and let Naruto pull him up.

"But that doesn't explain how my number ended up blocked on your cell," Sasuke said. His anger had clearly faded with the realization that Naruto had evidently not been the one to do it. But he wasn't going to let the matter drop. Someone had blocked his number.

Naruto didn't know what to say. There were only four people who could have done it. And he was pretty sure he could guess which one had. What he had no clue about, though, was why.

"I'll handle it," Naruto said, his voice resigned but hard. Sasuke just looked at him, wanting Naruto to tell him what he thought had happened, but knowing it was too early to push for it. He had been out of Naruto's life for a while. It would take a little time to be fully enmeshed again.

They walked into the house together. Shikamaru met them at the door, blocking their entry to the house and speaking quickly in a low voice. "I had to hold him back when he saw Sasuke knock you down. Luckily, he heard enough of what Sasuke said after that that I think he no longer wants to kill him, but keep your eyes open."

Naruto didn't need to ask who 'he' was. Instead, he turned to Sasuke, who was looking slightly puzzled. "Sasuke... I think it's time you met my other roommate."

They walked in and Sasuke was greeted by a glare and cold appraisal that was worthy of an Uchiha. "Gaara, this is Sasuke. Sasuke, this is Gaara."

The two men eyed each other for a minute, unspeaking. Naruto cleared his throat nervously. The similarity in temperament between the two men was a little scary. "Ok, so, now that we're all friends, how about we order out some dinner? I got paid today, so I can even buy. At least, I think I can..." Naruto realized he hadn't even opened the envelope with the check.

He ripped it open, hoping it would at least cover the rent he owed to his roommates, and maybe some ramen.

His ears started ringing and he staggered two steps back. He blinked up to see Gaara and Sasuke both eyeing him with concern.

"Dobe, are you ok? You look like you're about to fall over," Sasuke tried to look annoyed, but his concern was clearly showing.

Gaara glared at Sasuke. "If he hit his head when you shoved him, I will fucking-"

"No, stop! I just..." Naruto held out the check that was still clasped in his fingers. Green eyes and black eyes widened in shock.

"Oh, my god, Naruto. This is... this is a check for seventy thousand dollars," Sasuke said.

Shikamaru walked over to see what all the commotion was about.

"Holy shit, Shika, you'll never believe this!" Naruto said, showing the check to his friend.

Shikamaru shrugged, not looking at all surprised. "That's nothing compared to what's coming," he said, grabbing a sheet of paper, he sketched out some quick numbers, then handed it to Naruto. "This is what you'll get if the album does even half as well as their last one."

Naruto just stared. He had never imagined he would make that kind of money. Ever. He wasn't a 'stuff' kind of guy, so he never really coveted how much money Sasuke or Gaara had. But it would be amazing to not have to worry about making rent or paying tuition.

"Shika... this is... unbelievable."

Shikamaru just smiled. "Just don't sign on for a second album without my help, Naruto."

Naruto snorted almost in disbelief. "Are you kidding me? If I ever have to sign any kind of contract again, I'm dragging you with me whether you want to or not," Naruto was still trying to absorb this new reality. "Shika, we need to figure out your agent's fee for this. I mean, when we were doing it, I didn't even think about it because I just thought... it was cool to sort of get some of my writing published or whatever. I had no idea there would be real money like _this_. But you should get an agent's cut."

Shikamaru shrugged. "It was less than an hour's work, Naruto. Don't worry about it."

"Oh, no, Shika. You're not going to pull that crap. Temari, back me up here. Help me find out what the usual agent's cut it. It has to be at least 10%. I'm not going to have the first thing I do as a published song writer be to screw my friend over. I wouldn't have made anything on this if you hadn't helped me out. I had no idea what half that stuff you guys were talking about that day even _meant_."

Shikamaru just shrugged again. "Whatever. But you don't need to."

Naruto grinned at Sasuke. "And now maybe I can actually take my boyfriend out instead of always mooching off him."

It was said jokingly, but Sasuke knew how much this meant to Naruto. Growing up, Naruto had felt guilty about always eating over at Sasuke's house, always catching rides from Itachi, never being able to afford the presents for Sasuke or Itachi that he had wanted to get them. They hadn't talked about it, but Sasuke would catch flashes of guilt or embarrassment in his friend's eyes sometimes, and it would eat at him because he knew there was nothing he could do or say to make that feeling go away.

Sasuke smiled at Naruto, giving him a small shove on the shoulder. "Congratulations, Dobe. I can't wait to hear the album."

Naruto smiled, then slowly a look of horror spread across his face as he realized that there was no way that Sasuke wouldn't know that all the songs he had written were about him.

"I already read them, Naruto," Sasuke said softly.

Naruto cast a panicked look at Shikamaru, who raised his hands in defense. "Don't tell me you aren't happy with the outcome, Naruto. Besides, you're the one who agreed to have them recorded. It's not like he wasn't going to know as soon as he heard them anyway. At least I didn't give him your notebooks."

"Fuck," Naruto breathed out, trying to decide if he felt relieved, embarrassed, or angry.

Sasuke pulled Naruto into the kitchen for at least a little privacy. "I'm glad he did, Naruto. I just wish that you would have said something to me earlier about it."

"Sasuke, I just didn't know if..." Naruto trailed off.

"I know. I did the same thing. I didn't want to risk our friendship."

"So... you know I've liked you since high school, then. Right?" Naruto asked, a little hesitantly.

"Yeah. And I've like you even longer than that."

"But then, why did you react that way when I kissed you?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Because, you idiot, you kept saying that you didn't like guys and that the whole thing was some stupid _test_ to help me figure myself out. I had figured it out a long time ago. I didn't need your help."

Naruto processed that for a minute. "Oh," was all he could think of to say at the moment.

"Yeah, _oh_." Sasuke said.

"Well, you still should have told me. We were best friends," Naruto stated flatly.

"We still _are_ best friends. And you could have told me, too."

"Well, you started dating Sakura right away."

"And you got jealous."

"Yeah, of _her_ because she was dating _you_."

Now it was Sasuke's turn to process things. "Oh," he said, equally articulate.

"Yeah, _oh,_ " Naruto mimicked.

Sasuke blew out a small laugh. "God, we completely screwed up the past two years."

Naruto leaned his forehead against Sasuke's. "Yeah. Let's do better this year, ne?"

"Definitely," Sasuke said, sliding his body flush with Naruto's and pulling Naruto's mouth to his.

A growling sound interrupted them. Naruto looked down at his stomach in embarrassment. "Um, let's order some food. RAMEN'S ON ME!" Naruto shouted into the living room, going out to discuss what flavors everyone wanted him to order. Sasuke just watched from the kitchen door, half wishing he could just pull Naruto back to his hotel room, but half enjoying the sight of his friend so happy.

They had a small party with the five of them to celebrate. It was the first time in Naruto's life that he had enough money to pay for everyone, and it felt awesome.

Naruto took a picture of the check and e-mailed it to Jiraya, proof of his first wage as an actual writer.

"And I didn't even have to write porn to do it," Naruto laughed as he sent it off.

"No, but you pretty much filmed some," Gaara grumbled.

Sasuke frowned. "So, are you really going to do a second album with Yahiko?"

The room fell silent as everyone turned to see what Naruto would say. "Well... I don't know," Naruto said, feeling conflicted about the whole thing now that he realized he could have an actual career with this. But it would mean working in an industry that was known for ripping people's personal lives apart.

-xXx-

to be continued...

ok, so this is the last 'pre-written' chapter I have for this fic, which means now updates will not be daily, but more like weekly.  Just so you know!


	14. Back to school

-xXx-

Naruto was glad to see some familiar faces in his Monday morning class, looking similarly bleary eyed after the last weekend of freedom before the semester started. A cup of coffee was thrust into his hand, and he looked up to see Gaara taking the seat next to him. "Man, you saved my soul."

Gaara smirked. "I figured you'd be short on sleep this morning. Where's lover-boy?"

Naruto blushed, and was annoyed by it. After moving the three boxes containing all his worldly goods into the dorm room he would be sharing with Gaara for the semester, Naruto had spent the remainder of the weekend locked in Sasuke's hotel room. They hadn't even left for food, just ordering room service. Gaara didn't need to guess what they had been up to, and found it rather amusing. He might still have reservations about Sasuke given everything that had happened, but there was no denying that the blond was absolutely glowing with happiness. "Sasuke's taking a double course load this semester so he can graduate early and help his brother. Most of his classes are fourth year level, so we don't have anything together."

Gaara looked to the front of the class where the lecturer had just walked in the room, signaling the end to their conversation.

As Naruto pulled out his notebook, he realized that the only good thing about Sasuke being so busy was that Naruto would be able to go and talk to Nagato alone about what had happened with his cell phone without Sasuke coming along. He was nervous about the conversation, but he knew it had to be done. Nagato had helped him in so many ways at a time in his life when he had really needed it. But... the phone thing was weird. Why would he have done that?

Naruto shifted in his seat as he tried to focus on the lecture. There would be time later in the day to figure out what to do about it.

. . . . .

Naruto went back to his dorm room after his last class for the day. It felt strange to be back in school after the summer off. He wished he'd had an extra week to spend with Sasuke before it had started, but at least he'd be able to see him this evening. Sasuke still had two more classes that afternoon. And since they were upper level courses, he was pretty sure that they'd pile on the homework, even if it was the first day.

He lay down on his bed with his hands crossed behind his head as he tried to think about how to broach the subject of the cell phone with Nagato. He wasn't really good at planning these types of conversations out, but it felt a little weird to just walk up to the guy and say 'why did you block my friend's number from my phone and delete the texts he sent me?'.

Naruto tried to think about why Nagato would even have done that. Nagato had never once made a move on Naruto that would be considered sexual. He knew that the older man cared for him a lot, but it always seemed more in a mentor or older brother kind of way. So why would he interfere with Sasuke? At the time the number was blocked, he and Sasuke were barely even friends, so he should have been no threat. And the texts themselves had been supportive, not something that Nagato should have thought needed to be deleted.

The door to his room opened and Gaara came in. Green eyes fixed on Naruto for a moment as the smaller boy put his bag down, then leaned against the wall looking at him.

"Is Sasuke fucking you up already?" the redhead asked finally, his voice showing undertones of hostility. It was clear that Gaara had still not fully made his mind up about Sasuke, and was waiting to see how he treated Naruto before he made the call.

"No, it's not Sasuke. Things with him are great, actually," Naruto ginned as he thought about just _how_ great they'd been over the weekend.

But his mind was brought back to the matter at hand, and his grin faded. He needed advice. He could trust Gaara's judgment. Plus he knew he couldn't talk to Sasuke about this, because Sasuke was not likely to be open minded when he found out who had blocked his number. Sasuke and Nagato had already had one run-in before they'd transferred to Suna. He didn't want to make it worse, since he was hoping he could actually get them to like each other in the future. The chances of that weren't looking too great at the moment, however.

"I think that - back before I transferred here - Nagato blocked Sasuke's number from my cell without telling me. It was just after I'd gotten kicked out of school for beating up those assholes. Sasuke had texted me asking if I were ok, and saying he wanted to help me. Someone deleted the texts, and blocked his number so he couldn't call me," Naruto grimaced remembering the hurt he had felt at seemingly being completely abandoned by his childhood friend. "It really messed me up. That was sort of the point of no return for me, when I decided that Sasuke's and my friendship was over because he hadn't even bothered to contact me. I thought he didn't care at all, not even for the residual friendship we had left."

Gaara nodded. Given what he had learned about Naruto's past, having the only solid relationship Naruto had ever had seem to crumble in his hands must have been devastating. But he wasn't sure he understood why Naruto thought Nagato would have done it, given that the older man seemed to be protective of Naruto, not someone out to hurt him. "Why do you think it was Nagato?"

Naruto looked slightly embarrassed. "Well, that night I was really upset, so I went to Nagato's place and basically drank myself to sleep on his couch. I was probably passed out when I received the texts. Sasuke's number was blocked when he tried to call me the next morning. And the only people in the house that night were Hidan, Deidara, Zetsu, and Nagato."

"It could have been Hidan. That guy is fucking crazy, and he's always seemed sort of interested in you."

Naruto shrugged. "It's hard to tell if he's serious. The guy loves to shock people with the insane shit that comes out of his mouth, but he's never really tried anything with me. But Nagato had already gotten in Sasuke's face telling him to leave me alone before I had gotten kicked out. He knew who Sasuke was, and that we had issues. I don't think Hidan did."

"But why would Nagato block Sasuke's number? Even if he knew that you liked Sasuke, or that you two were fighting, why would Nagato care?"

Naruto sighed. "I don't really know. That's why I'm nervous to talk to him about this. Nagato is like... I don't know. He's really helped me out, and there are times where I feel like he really needs me. What if I confront him about this and it turns out he's a total creeper and has these weird feelings for me? I don't think I could handle that. He was one of the few people in my life besides you and Shika recently that didn't seem to be trying to fuck me up."

Gaara scowled at that. Naruto did tend to attract weirdoes and stalkers.

"Nagato stood up to Yahiko about the video, even though they had been friends forever. And he's helped me in so many ways over the past year with my writing, and moving out here. If it were all some kind of crush or something, I almost think I just don't want to know," Naruto almost whispered the last part.

Gaara looked at his friend. He understood that Naruto had an almost desperate need to fill the void that having grown up with no stable home and no family had left in him. It was what made him an incredible human being, willing to be friends with just about anyone and always trying to see the good in people. It was also what made him vulnerable to predators.

"If he has ulterior motives, you need to find out now before it gets worse," Gaara said. "I'll go with you if you want."

Naruto shook his head. "No. This is something I just need to talk to him about privately. I'm going to bike over there tomorrow morning before my first class."

Gaara nodded. He watched Naruto for a few more minutes, and decided that the blond was decidedly slipping into 'moping' territory.

"Get up," Gaara said tersely.

"What?"

"Get up. We're going outside to spar."

Naruto hesitated for a second, then grinned. It always helped to clear his head. Sparring with Gaara was even better than running, because if your mind drifted even for a second, he'd send you flying.

It was blazing hot outside, and the late afternoon sun beat down on the two shirtless combatants as they panted for breath. Naruto loved sparring in the heat. It made his muscles seem fluid, each motion flowing into the next. Naruto figured they had been at it for at least an hour. His whole body felt slick with sweat, and Gaara looked to be in about the same state. Several students had gathered to watch what had become a bit of a weekly ritual between the two roommates last semester. Naruto guessed that a large part of the draw was the fact that everyone seemed to know who Gaara was, and were generally terrified of him. They likely found seeing the son of the most feared men in Suna half naked and sweating in the sun intriguing.

There was one girl in particular that Naruto had noticed seemed to be quite fixated on the redhead, but Naruto hadn't been able to find anything out about her yet. It would take a very special type of woman (or man, Naruto wasn't totally sure of Gaara's sexuality, and had learned his lesson about guessing on these things) to handle the redhead.

Distracted by his thoughts, Naruto didn't see Gaara's foot coming in time and found himself sailing through the air, landing in a small cloud of dust on someone's sandaled feet.

"Well, brat, I was about to compliment you on your improved skills 'till you let yourself get owned just now."

Naruto recognized that voice, and grinned. "Pervert!"

He scrambled somewhat painfully to his feet and hugged his guardian. "When did they decide to let your scandal-making ass back on campus?"

Jiraya rolled his eyes, but laughed. "I flew back over the weekend. I'm teaching here again this semester. I'm also re-starting my sparring club. You two should join."

Gaara and Naruto exchanged glances. To most people, Gaara might have seemed indifferent. But Naruto could tell the other boy was internally bouncing off the walls in excitement of being able to learn directly from Jiraya.

"Sure," Naruto said. "When do you meet?"

"Monday and Wednesday evenings. We'll start next week. Now, why don't you get cleaned up and help me move back into my office. And you can tell me about this song-writing career of yours. I saw the size of the check that you got... not bad for a first set of published work."

Naruto snorted. Of course the pervert only found him to get some free labor out of him. But he could hear the pride in Jiraya's voice, and it warmed him. Naruto had worked minimum wage jobs when he was in high school, and done some editing for his godfather, but this was on a whole different level. He finished dusting himself off and told the older man he'd meet him back at his office in an hour. Naruto and Gaara walked back to their room to grab some clean clothes and hit the showers.

"You want me to come and help?" Gaara asked as Naruto toweled off his hair. He had already changed into jeans and a black tank top. It was hot as hell outside, and he couldn't even manage a T-shirt.

"Nah. He's probably going to tell me all these embarrassing stories about his sexual exploits since he's been gone. Having one of us mentally scarred by that is plenty. Plus, I have to tell him about Sasuke, so..."

Gaara opened his laptop on his desk and settled in, clearly agreeing that remaining safely in his dorm room away from graphic descriptions of old guy sex and gay confessions was the safest course.

. . . .

Naruto carried the last box of papers up to the third floor where Jiraya's office was located. The fucking thing must have weighed over sixty pounds. Naruto thought briefly about what joke he could make about sixty pounds of porn, but in the end he was just too tired to come up with anything, so he merely dropped it on Jiraya's desk.

"Thanks, brat. These boxes are heavy."

"No shit. Who packs boxes like this? You should use more boxes and not fill them up so you don't throw your back out."

"I'm not going to throw my back out. I knew you'd be here to haul them up for me," Jiraya said, laughing at the exasperated expression on Naruto's face.

"So," Jiraya said, "How did you end up writing songs for Yahiko? Did Nagato retire?"

Naruto was at first surprised that Jiraya seemed to know them, until he remembered that Nagato had said he had gone to school here. "Well, I met Nagato at the writer's workshop I attended here my senior year. And then we bumped into each other again last year before I transferred to Suna, and he ended up reading some of my work. He showed it to Yahiko, and they agreed to use it."

Jiraya looked at him for a minute. "Bumped into each other, huh? So... you're friends with Nagato now?"

"Yeah. He really has helped me out a lot. Both with the writing and with some personal stuff I was going through." The thought of the phone incident flashed through Naruto's mind, and he frowned a bit.

"Everything ok with him?" Jiraya asked carefully.

"Yes, I guess," Naruto said. Jiraya seemed to be waiting to see if Naruto was going to say anything more, but when he didn't, Jiraya just shrugged.

"That's quite a lucky break you had. Even if you did have to pimp yourself out in the video. And the album cover," Jiraya tossed down a copy of the latest Pain CD, and Naruto just gaped at the photo on the front of it. It looked like a screen shot from the video, with Naruto and Yahiko completely naked. Luckily, it only showed them from the waist up, and Yahiko was looking directly into the camera, so all you could really see was Naruto's sculpted back and the back of his head.

Naruto blushed wildly at the thought of the older man seeing him in the video. And then paled at the thought of Sasuke finding out about the album cover. "Shit. I fucking _hate_ Yahiko for this."

Jiraya raised a brow. "You didn't know he was going to use it in the video?"

"I didn't know it was being recorded at all," Naruto said hotly.

Jiraya laughed. "Why not? Sex tapes are fun to watch with your partner later. Or alone to remember the fun." He waggled his eyes suggestively. "Though I have to say, it came as a bit of a shock to see that you were playing for the other team. Last time I remember, I was hearing stories about you hooking up with some girl after your first visit to campus. Although I suppose with all the stuff you wrote about that friend of yours from high school, it shouldn't have surprised me."

"Actually, I'm dating him now," Naruto said, deciding this was as good a time as any to get it out there.

"Yahiko?" Jiraya said, looking concerned.

"No, Sasuke," Naruto said.

"Ah, that's fine, then. When did he turn gay? After seeing you in the video? Does he know what he's doing in bed? He always seemed kind of frigid," Jiraya started shuffling through some books on his shelf that he had just pulled out. "He could borrow-"

"NO! No, thanks. Um... we're totally fine. Just... no sex talk, ok?"

"Do you use lube?"

"STOP!" Naruto said, covering his ears. "I am not having this conversation with you. I lost my virginity years ago, so just... we're _fine_."

Jiraya was outright laughing. "Ok, but just tell Sasuke that if he needs any advice-"

"Ok, THANKS, I'm LEAVING NOW," Naruto said, practically running for the door. The sound of Jiraya's laugher followed him down the hall.

. . . .

Naruto walked into the library later that evening. As expected, he saw a head of spiky black hair bent over a text book, with a large stack of books waiting along side him. Naruto sighed resignedly at the six pair of female eyes watching his boyfriend from various locations in the room. There was no use being jealous about it. This would just be a fact of life with dating an Uchiha. Though Naruto would have found handling it easier back when he knew for sure that the girls' attention annoyed Sasuke. Their freshman year of college, Sasuke had been treating the campus library like a Chinese menu for what flavor to bring back to his bed. Naruto tried to brush the unsettling memories aside, walking up behind Sasuke and bending down next to him.

"Hey, sexy," Naruto whispered in Sasuke's ear, causing the older boy to jump slightly.

"Fuck, Naruto. Don't sneak up on me like that," Sasuke hissed back. They had to keep their voices low in the library.

"It's eight o'clock. Have you had dinner yet?"

Sasuke looked at his watch, surprised to hear the time. "That late?" He stretched up, and Naruto briefly admired the way he could see the raven's muscles flex beneath the thin cotton shirt. Sasuke looked over at Naruto, taking in the scrapes across the tan knuckles and the light bruising on his shoulder and forearms.

"Please tell me I am not going to have to bail you out of jail for this," Sasuke said.

Naruto laughed, "Oh, so you'd show up this time, bastard?"

He regretted his joke almost instantly when he saw the regret flash across Sasuke's eyes. "Sorry," Naruto said quickly. "I shouldn't joke about it. I was just sparring with Gaara earlier today in the lawn behind our dorm."

Sasuke looked at Naruto, realizing that they still had a ways to go to plow through all the damage they'd done to each other.

Naruto abruptly changed the subject. "I can't believe it's only the first day of school and you already have a pile of work to do."

Sasuke decided that seemed like a safer topic. "Yeah, well I had five classes today, and they all started out with projects or reading assignments."

"Shit. Five classes on a Monday? How many are you taking this semester anyway?"

"Eight."

Naruto's eyes widened. "Eight!? I thought there was a cap on how many credits you could take per semester."

"Special permission from the dean. I got straight A's last semester when I did the same thing, so they decided to let me do it here, too."

"But... why do you even want to? It's going to be hell. And... we'll hardly get to see each other," Naruto felt a little guilty even saying the last part, but he was so happy to finally be together after not seeing Sasuke for the past nine months. The thought of now having almost no time together made him crazy.

"We'll see each other during the weekends, and we can study together. It's just, Itachi finished in a shorter time while taking over the family business and raising me. I feel like it's time I stepped up and took some of the weight off his shoulders."

Naruto sighed. He could understand where Sasuke was coming from. Itachi had been amazingly strong in what he had done, and was more like a father figure to Naruto than anyone else had ever been in his life. And he admired Sasuke for growing up and wanting to share the burden with his brother rather than just freeloading the way a lot of other 'trust fund babies' did.

He could see Sasuke looking at him, a hint of worry showing. Naruto smiled. "I think it's great that you're helping Itachi. It will suck that we won't have much time during the week, but we'll have the weekends, right?"

Sasuke couldn't hide the relief that washed over him. Of course Naruto would understand. "Absolutely," Sasuke said, his voice turning slightly husky.

"But you still need to eat, and I bet you haven't. Let's go grab some dinner, and you can tell me about all these crazy classes you're taking."

"Hn," Sasuke said, loading some books into his bag, and returning others to the book return cart.

"The Pervert's back on campus. I ran into him when I was sparring with Gaara."

Sasuke raised a brow. If Jiraya weren't Naruto's guardian, he would find the man much more amusing. But seeing Naruto struggle through his earlier school years with basically no one looking out for him had definitely soured Sasuke on the man.

"So... what did he have to say?"

"Well, I told him we were dating."

Sasuke paused. He didn't really care what the porn-writing man thought about their relationship, but he suspected that at least on some level Naruto did. He was the closest thing Naruto had to a connection to his parents, after all. "Was he... ok with it?"

"He was cool about it. He just said to be careful, and all that, but seemed glad that we finally got together. He... erm... offered me some suggestions on books to read, but -"

"NO," Sasuke said emphatically, earning a sharp glance from the librarian. He dropped his voice. "You are _not_ taking sex tips from that guy, or any of his friends."

Naruto snickered and leaned in closer to Sasuke, "Yeah, I told he we didn't need any help in that department." Suddenly it felt like the temperature in the library just jumped about a thousand degrees.

Sasuke's eyes darkened, and he leaned closer to Naruto, wishing that they were alone in the room. "One of these nights, we need to come back here just before the library closes and there aren't many people around."

Naruto laughed softly, "So you realized after the coatroom at the club you have a kink for public places? I could be totally ok with that."

Sasuke ignored the stares of the girls who had been watching him and closed the distance to Naruto's mouth, kissing him hard. "Maybe I just want to have something pleasant to think about when I spend the next two semesters stuck in here for endless hours each day."

Naruto glanced around, trying to see if there was any way in hell he could drag Sasuke off to some quite corner of the library without a trail of observers stalking them. Judging by the number of fevered eyes that were latched onto them after the kiss, he realized it was hopeless.

"Maybe we can have room service for dinner?" Sasuke's apartment wouldn't be ready for three more weeks, so he had to stay in the hotel in the meantime. Luckily, he could afford it. It also provided a convenient place for them at the moment when they didn't want to bother staying out of bed long enough to get food.

Sasuke's eyes glinted. "That's the best idea you've had all day." He jammed the remaining books into his bag and slung it over his shoulder. They headed towards the library exit, with Sasuke leading. As soon as they walked out the door away from the prying eyes, Naruto came up behind Sasuke and grabbed his hip bones, pulling him back so their bodies brushed against each other.

"You know," Naruto said, whispering in Sasuke's ear from behind him. "Seeing you in your white button down shirt with your book bag slung over your shoulder... you look like such a good little schoolboy." He ran his tongue over the back of Sasuke's ear, pressing the stud into the sensitive flesh at the delicate juncture of the ear and the neck. He felt the shudder in his lover's body at the wet caress. "It really makes me want to do all kinds of inappropriate things to you."

" _Fuck_ ," Sasuke said, turning and jerking Naruto around the corner of the library where there weren't any lights. He dropped his bag and shoved Naruto roughly against the wall, grinding their clothed erections together, leaving them both gasping. One of the girls from the library came around the corner, and squeaked at the sight.

"Oh my god... you guys are so freaking hot," she said, and began reaching into her bag. Naruto and Sasuke didn't bother to find out if she was reaching for her camera or a tissue for her suddenly bleeding nose. Sasuke grabbed his bag and they took off across campus, heading for Sasuke's hotel with all possible speed.

. . .

Sometime later they lay sweaty in the tangled sheets of Sasuke's bed. Naruto slanted a heavy-lidded look at his lover. "You know, I kind of like feeling like the bad boy who's corrupting the straight-A, over-achiever."

Sasuke forced his eyes open, feeling completely drained from their strenuous past two hours. "Not so straight. And I seem to recall doing a bit of corrupting myself."

Naruto nuzzled contentedly into Sasuke's neck. "Mmmmm... and it was fucking awesome."

"You know, I still have a shitload of homework to do tonight," Sasuke said, feeling like he didn't have even the strength to lift his hand.

"Let's just take a quick nap and you can finish it later," Naruto said, enjoying the still new feel of being in Sasuke's bed. Almost immediately, the thought had him wondering about all the others that had been there before, and how long this would last.

"So," Naruto said, sounding a little uncertain. "We're together, right? You're not going to be see anyone else?" Images of rows of endless college girls lining up at the doorstep of Sasuke's apartment filled his head, along with the sound effects he vividly remembered from when they were sharing a dorm room.

"Dobe, we talked about this at the club. We each agreed we wouldn't sleep with anyone else. I don't do 'open relationships', especially not with you," Sasuke narrowed his eyes to make his point clear, and Naruto realized he might not be the only one feeling a little insecure about this whole thing.

"Pfft. Like I'd want anyone else, asshole," Naruto said, curling up against Sasuke and letting his eyes drift shut.

-xXx-

The next morning Naruto didn't have any classes. Before the full heat of the day hit, he called Nagato and asked if he could stop by before his noon class. Nagato said he would be around.

Naruto parked his bike outside of Nagato's house, realizing suddenly that he now had enough money that he could probably even buy a car. Something he had thought would never happen until he graduated and found a 'real job'.

Pushing that thought aside, he rang the bell, nervous about how to begin the conversation.

Nagato opened the door, and Naruto stepped in, glad to get out of the hot sun.

"I'm glad you decided to come out. Its been almost a week since you were here. Can I get you something to drink?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Water would be great, thanks. Sorry its been a while. I was getting ready for school to start and... an old friend came into town."

Naruto noticed the way Nagato's expression shifted to one almost of dislike.

"Sai or Yahiko probably told you about Sasuke, huh?" Naruto asked, trying to understand the intense disapproval radiating from the older man.

"They didn't need to. I saw the shirt you were wearing the other day," Nagato said drily.

"Heh, yeah. That. Well, he's a little funny that way," Naruto said, trying to figure out how to bring up the phone. He decided to just dive right in, given that the conversation was already awkward. "It was strange. He tried to call me, but he couldn't get through on my mobile. And it turns out that somehow his number was blocked on my phone. And I'm pretty sure that I didn't do it."

Nagato sighed. "Yeah, that's right. You didn't. But you should have."

"So you did?"

Nagato didn't answer, but he didn't deny it.

"Why?" Naruto asked, honestly confused. "Do you know how much it hurt me thinking that my best friend didn't even try to contact me when my whole life was going down the toilet?"

Anger flashed across Nagato's face. "Don't you realize how much he had been hurting you before that? It was like every time you saw him, he walked away with another little piece of you. Why would you want someone like that to contact you? You were finally getting out from under him, finally getting to start over with your life where you wouldn't see him every day and..."

Naruto looked stunned. He hadn't realized that Nagato had been paying that close of attention to his emotional state at the time.

"Yes, Sasuke hurt me. But I hurt him, too. We both... had feelings for each other for a long time, but didn't want to ruin our friendship by freaking the other out about it. So we did some stupid things to each other, and misunderstood each other. But Sasuke was the closest thing I had to a real family growing up. You know what that's like. With you and Yahiko. And even though it hurt me to see him with other people, it hurt a thousand times worse when I thought he had forgotten about me altogether."

Nagato looked intently into Naruto's eyes. "I just don't want to see you hurt."

"I know. You've been like an older brother to me. And I don't want our relationship to get messed up. But you have to let me make my own decisions on stuff like this. Who I date, or who I'm friends with has to be my decision. If you have a problem with someone I'm hanging out with, you can totally tell me. But in the end, it has to be my choice. I don't like that you went behind my back on this. I can't have you messing with my phone and deleting messages every time I have a fight with a friend."

"It wasn't just a fight. He'd been bringing you down for years," Nagato was looking off to the side and didn't notice Naruto's head snap up at his words. "It just kept getting worse and worse. I know how much you care about him. And maybe he cares for you, too. But I'm not sure he can help from hurting you. He has a complicated life. And being part of it will be hard."

"What do you know about it? You just met him like a year ago, and only talked to him for about three minutes. How do you know anything about his history?"

Nagato looked slightly uncomfortable. "You showed me your journals, Naruto. I saw the dates. This has been going on for a while."

Naruto nodded slowly. It made sense. But something still felt... off. Though there was nothing he could point to immediately that stood out as a lie.

"Ok, so just... don't do something like this again, alright? I want to be able to trust you," Naruto said, searching the older man's face, still trying to try to understand his actions.

Nagato just looked at Naruto, but didn't say anything for a bit. "I just want to protect you," he said finally.

Naruto sighed. "I know. But not by doing stuff like this, ok? Just talk to me about it if you are worried."

"Alright. Can you come by for dinner tonight? Dei will be here."

Naruto knew that Sasuke had a meeting with the group he was doing his finance project with, so he wouldn't be around. "Sure. I'll be by for dinner."

-xXx-

Naruto was lying in his bed in the dorm room. It was the second week of classes, but his first night sleeping in his own bed. Sasuke had told him he wasn't allowed to come to the library or his hotel room tonight to 'study together', since every time last week Naruto had come they had ended up having sex for hours, leaving Sasuke too exhausted to finish his work. It was only the second week of school, and Sasuke was already falling behind. If he wanted to keep his special permission to do extra courses, he had to make top grades.

So Naruto was left cooling his heels alone for the evening. Gaara had gone somewhere with his siblings, and wouldn't be back until late. Naruto heard his phone chime, and he looked to see who the text was from, hoping it was Sasuke inviting him over for a 'study break'. But it wasn't Sasuke. It was Yahiko.

_I'm in the parking lot by your dorm_

_Just give me 5 min to talk_

Yahiko was leaning against his car when Naruto approached.

"Hey," Yahiko said, levering himself away from the car when he saw Naruto.

"Hi," Naruto said, a little unsure of how to act around Yahiko after everything that had happened. "I was surprised to get your message. What's up?"

"I just wanted to catch you before we leave on tour. We'll be heading out for about four months."

Naruto smiled sincerely. "That's great. I'm really glad that the album is doing so well."

Yahiko smiled slightly. "The songs were great. It makes it easy to sell tickets. How are things going with you and the Uchiha?"

Naruto grinned. "They're great. We're... really happy."

Yahiko just looked at Naruto for a minute, then drew a breath. "Look, I still want to work with you on the next album. If you and Sasuke are serious, and all we can be are collaborators professionally, I'm cool with that. I really think you are talented, and I think we work well together."

Naruto hesitated. "I don't know. What about Nagato?"

"Things are better between us. We're talking again. But he doesn't really want to write more right now. And you already have a lot of material that we could use. Maybe the three of us could work on it together, like last time."

"Maybe," Naruto said. If he were honest with himself, he had to admit that working with Nagato and Yahiko on turning scraps of poetry and thoughts into songs had been one of the most exciting things he had ever done. And he missed it. "I'll think about it. But if I do, I don't want any more shit with me in any of the videos or album covers."

Yahiko sneered a bit. "What, your boyfriend won't like it?"

Naruto bristled, in part because he hadn't worked up the nerve to show Sasuke the album cover yet, and also at the implication that he wouldn't have been mad about it if he hadn't been dating Sasuke. " _I_ didn't like it, Yahiko. You might not care if everyone sees your naked ass, but I care if people see mine. I don't like my personal life all over the TV, and I don't like people lying to me about what they want from me."

"I never lied to you, Naruto," Yahiko began.

"Please, let's not go over this again. Look, I'm telling you I'll think about it, ok? I liked writing songs with you guys. It was really fun. And I know that this was a chance in a lifetime for me. For the first time ever, I don't have to worry about paying my rent or having to drop out of school because I can't afford it." Naruto paused, still getting used to this new reality, and feeling such a volatile mix of intense gratitude and extreme mistrust for the man standing in front of him. "I know that you guys gave me a huge break, and I am incredibly grateful. But if I am going to write, I need to stay in the background out of the videos, album covers and everything else. I don't want people to recognize me, or want to know who I'm sleeping with, or know what I look like naked... just none of that."

Yahiko laughed softly. "You're such a good boy, still, aren't you Naruto? Even after all this. I guess it's part of your appeal. You just never seem to get jaded." He sighed. "I can agree to your request. Just think about it, ok?"

"Ok," Naruto said. "Good luck on the tour."

Yahiko looked at him intently for a moment, and Naruto felt a heat rise on his cheeks. "Sasuke better deserve you," Yahiko said, and got into his car.

Naruto watched him drive off, feeling somehow guilty about the exchange.

-xXx-

_to be continued..._


	15. Stress and better birthdays

**Author's note:** Ok, so this week was absolute hell and I ended up working like 80 hours (which doesn't sound much, but when you figure it is like working two full-time regular work weeks, and considering hygiene and eating time it means basically I didn't exist outside of work this week). So my brain is dead. Like not functioning. At all. SO Deception won't be updated this weekend, because there are about 5 sub-plots and all the details matter and I have to really focus on it or I'll mess it up. This story is simpler, so I was able to write this chapter on the subway when I wasn't falling asleep.

-xXx-

Sasuke laid his head on the desk in the library. He was mentally exhausted and it was only four weeks into the semester. Classes were harder this year, which he had expected since they were higher level courses than what he had taken last year. It wasn't that he had any trouble picking up the concepts, but the sheer volume of homework and projects was burying him alive. He had hardly been able to spend any time in the Suna office getting up to speed on anything. He had met the two VPs that were currently running the office under Itachi, but hadn't gone much beyond that. He had a hard time getting a read on Karin's capabilities, because the redhead kept fawning over him so much she seemed barely able to string together a coherent sentence. The other VP, Suigetsu, seemed sharp enough but he clearly enjoyed making a fool out of Karin whenever Sasuke was around. Sasuke wondered how the two ever managed to keep the business running given their completely broken interpersonal skills and lack of focus.

His new executive assistant, Jugo, definitely seemed capable. He was calm, quiet, and well-organized. And didn't seem to have any sort of attraction to Sasuke, which was a major bonus. The only problem was that Sasuke's class schedule had his weekdays so full he wasn't able to participate in any of the business meetings or day-to-day operations that he had planned on getting involved with.

Two of his afternoons had large enough gaps in his course schedule that he could have spent the time at the office, but he had study groups that met then for the courses where team projects were a large part of the grade. The groups had been willing to meet on weekends, but he had promised that time to Naruto, so he had pushed for weekdays instead.

Sasuke sighed. He would talk to Naruto. It was only for 8 more months. And they would have winter break in the middle to spend time together. Naruto understood what Sasuke was trying to do and why. He wouldn't begrudge the time, as long as Sasuke explained what was happening.

. . . .

Naruto dropped his books on his desk, then flopped down on his bed.

Gaara raised a hairless eyebrow, waiting for the blond to speak. Usually, he was waiting for his roommate to shut up. Something was definitely wrong.

"Weren't you supposed to be studying with Sasuke at the library today?"

"Yes," Naruto said, sounding slightly sulky.

Gaara simply waited. It wasn't long in coming.

"He says I'm too distracting. He needs to focus on just getting his coursework out of the way so he can graduate early and take over the Suna operations this summer, because he promised Itachi that he would."

"Did you try not jumping him and actually, you know, letting him study?"

Naruto growled. "I don't jump him every time."

Gaara simply blinked his skepticism. He'd walked in on one or two of their 'study sessions' in their dorm room.

"Half the time he jumps me," Naruto said, somewhat defensively. "I mean, we haven't seen each other in almost a year. We've barely been going out a month. We're just..."

"Horny?" Gaara said, his voice flat but his green eyes dancing with laughter.

"Shut up. It's not just about that. I mean... the sex is _great_ -"

"Too much information."

" _But_ I really do just like to watch him study and hear him talk about his classes and things. Even if we didn't have sex, I'd still just like to hang out together," Naruto said, his sulkiness increasing.

"At least you still have the weekends," Gaara offered.

Naruto buried his head down into the pillows. "Sort of. He's going to start spending most of Saturdays now working with two of his project groups so that he could free up two afternoons during the week to spend at his office. Because evidently, being a prodigy and finishing a fucking four year degree in two years isn't enough. He _also_ needs to try to take over running a business."

Gaara looked at him for a minute. "So you're mad at him."

"No, of course not," Naruto said quickly.

Gaara rolled his eyes.

"I mean, it would be stupid to be mad at him. He's doing this to help his brother out. And his brother has been carrying all the weight for like seven years, so of course Sasuke would want to do his part now that he's older and can take on more responsibilities."

"But?"

Naruto scowled. He hated having friends who could read him so well. " _But_ I know Itachi, and there's no way he'd want Sasuke to be killing himself working this hard. And I know that Sasuke knows it, too. So part of me feels like this is just him competing with his older brother, trying to show him that he's just as much of a brilliant fucking workaholic prodigy as Itachi."

"And you get laid less because of that, so it pisses you off."

"Gah! It's not just about sex. Though, as I said, the sex is-"

"TOO MUCH INFORMATION."

"Anyway, I just really miss him. I liked him as a friend for way longer than we've been having sex. Just hanging out and doing nothing is fun when we're together. And even if I understand why he's doing it, it still just sucks," Naruto said, looking depressed despite getting a rise out of his usually stoic roommate.

"Then let's go do something. I don't have classes this afternoon and neither do you. Weren't you saying something about wanting to buy a car now that you have some actual money?"

Naruto perked up a bit at that. "Yeah, I've been asking Sasuke to come with me for weeks, but he's always busy, or we're... busy."

"Well, since you won't be getting busy with Sasuke until Saturday night, and the dealerships are closed then, why don't the two of us go and find you a new ride."

"Ok. But.. I haven't really done much research into what I want."

Gaara looked at Naruto, and smirked. "I think I have a pretty good idea of what you should get."

. . . .

"You bought a _what_?" Sasuke shouted into his phone.

" _A motorcycle. Isn't it awesome? Gaara helped me pick it out. I bought an extra helmet so you can ride with me._ "

"You are insane. I wouldn't even trust you driving a car, and that has four wheels and a steel cage to prevent me from getting crushed when you crash into something."

" _Sasukeeee, you have to let me take you for a ride this weekend. Or I can drive you home after your study session tonight!"_

"Dobe, I live two blocks from campus. I don't need a ride. Why did you buy such an impractical vehicle? You can't use it in the rain, and it will be hot in the summer and cold in the winter."

" _Bastard! It's not impractical. I'll always be able to find parking now, and I'll never get stuck in traffic again -"_

"Because you'll drive like a maniac and get yourself killed..."

" _\- and it only ever rains like two weeks out of the entire year. This is Suna, not Konoha. It will be awesome! Plus it doesn't use much gas. And it goes crazy fast. Gaara raced me on his-"_

"Gaara has a motorcycle, too?"

_"Of course! How do you think he knew just what model I should buy?"_

"I thought you wanted me to go with you to pick it out."

_"I did! I've been asking you for more than three weeks! But you never had the time. So Gaara offered to take me so I'd stop bothering you about it. Plus his brother owns a race track outside of town and we can -"_

"No. You are _not_ racing motorcycles."

" _Not professionally or anything. It's just a place to go and have fun. My bike isn't a race bike. I didn't want to spend that much money. It's cheaper than a car, and this is a safe place to have a little fun with it and not have to worry about getting a speeding ticket. See? Totally responsible."_

Sasuke tried to understand why he was so annoyed about this. It's not like he had a thing against motorcycles, exactly. It's just that Naruto is so reckless _anyway_. And it bugged him that he had gone with Gaara, even though Sasuke knew that it was only because he hadn't been able to go. Naruto had asked him first. For three weeks.

"Just be careful when you drive it, Dobe. Do you even have a license to drive a motorcycle?"

_"Of course! I learned from Gaara. So, will you let me drive you places with it?"_

"If you can go a month without crashing it, I'll think about it."

It bothered him, though, that Naruto had yet another activity that he was taking up with Gaara. First there was Jiraya's sparring club. They had invited Sasuke, but he didn't have time. Now it was motorcycles. Sasuke wasn't jealous. He wasn't. He knew that Naruto and Gaara were just friends. And he trusted Naruto. He knew him well enough to know that Naruto would never hook up with someone else just because he was bored. But he just... didn't like it.

But he had to keep his word to Itachi. He said he'd be ready to take over the Suna branch by summer. And he would be. And then hopefully his life would under control again. And he'd be able to spend more time with Naruto.

-xXx-

October 10th.

Naruto hummed as he walked to Sasuke's apartment. He had thought about bringing his bike over, but it was only about six blocks from his dorm. As much as he loved his new bike, it felt a little ridiculous to drive it for such a short distance. Sasuke still hadn't let him drive him anywhere on it, especially since he found out Naruto had just gotten his license the day he bought the bike (having Gaara as a friend helped him speed up the waiting process considerably for getting his motorcyclist license). But Sasuke had shown interest in doing... other things on the bike. Naruto happened to be parking his bike one evening when Sasuke was cutting across the lot on his way home from the library.

It turns out that the small alley between his dorm and the neighboring one served as a pretty convenient parking space for late night visitations. And the way the sounds had echoed off the concrete walls had been fucking amazing. Until someone had opened their window and looked out to see what all the noise was about.

Yeah, Sasuke had been a little annoyed about that. Though it hadn't stopped him from doing the same thing the next night. Sasuke was definitely warming up to the whole motorcycle idea. Naruto's hum shifted into a snicker.

It was Saturday, and Sasuke had spent the entire morning and early afternoon finishing up the two projects that were due before midterms started next week. With eight classes to study for, Naruto wasn't sure when Sasuke had actually slept recently. Naruto had told him that they could celebrate his birthday  _next_ weekend instead, after midterms were over. The exact date wasn't important. But Sasuke had been adamant that he wanted to have Naruto come over for dinner and spend the night since it was his birthday.

Naruto had felt both guilty and happy. Guilt because he knew that Sasuke was trying to make up for last year, and the situation hadn't really been Sasuke's fault. Naruto had been just as much to blame for that mess, and he didn't want Sasuke killing himself for it now. But Naruto couldn't deny that he had missed Sasuke all week and had been dreading going another week without getting to spend any time with him.

So they had compromised. Sasuke had said he needed to take a break from studying anyway, and Naruto said he'd come but Sasuke had to actually get some sleep while he was there. It might be creepy, but Naruto loved watching Sasuke sleep, especially when he knew that his friend needed it. Early in their friendship, Sasuke had been having nightmares about his parents' death that typically kept him up all night. The first night Naruto had slept over, Sasuke had woken up in a panic. Naruto had simply crawled into bed next to the raven and stroked his hair. Within seconds, Sasuke was back to sleep.

When Itachi found out about it, Naruto found himself invited for frequent sleepovers, even on school nights. Evidently he had been having Sasuke see a therapist for nearly six months trying to get rid of the nightmares that were waking him up almost every night. But when Naruto was there, the nightmares came less frequently, and with less ferocity, until they were gone for good. Naruto smiled slightly at the memory. Back then, Naruto had decided that that meant Sasuke was _his_. At that age, he didn't really know what he meant by that, but now he knew exactly what it meant. And the feeling had only grown with time.

Which was why the separation was killing him. Seeing how exhausted Sasuke was, and not being able to ease it made him feel useless.

Naruto used his key and let himself in to Sasuke's apartment. He was about to call out his usual greeting when a sight he could barely process greeted his eyes.

Sasuke was standing in the kitchen, with a white splotch of what appeared to be flour on the front of his black T-shirt. There was a cookbook open in front of him, along with a large mixing bowl filled with something that even from this distance Naruto could tell looked quite lumpy. Sasuke was glaring at the bowl and clutching a mixing spoon as though it were a weapon.

Naruto felt his heart do a little twist as he saw the two round cake pans sitting empty beside the bowl.

"Oi, Teme," Naruto said. Sasuke looked up, still scowling. "Put the spoon down slowly and step away from the bowl. It surrenders."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "I don't know how Itachi did this every year. What the fuck is up with these lumps?"

Naruto walked over to the counter, biting the inside of his cheek to keep his expression neutral. Sasuke trying to bake for him was... so fucking _cute_. But if Sasuke knew that Naruto was mentally applying ' _cute'_ to him, Naruto would quickly find the spoon that Sasuke was holding shoved in unpleasant places. But he just couldn't help it. Even if Sasuke looked really pissed off at the likely inedible cake batter, somehow it just made it that much hotter.

Sasuke actually wasn't bad at cooking. But apparently baking was not in his repertoire.

"Um... did you turn the oven on?" Naruto asked, trying to keep his voice controlled and snicker free.

Sasuke just glared at him. "Of course I turned the fucking oven on, Dobe. I know _that_ much about baking."

"Well, the way you were glaring at the batter I thought maybe you were going to just incinerate it with your eyes."

"Idiot," Sasuke muttered, looking skeptically back at the gooey, lumpy mess in the bowl. "This doesn't look like how I remember it looking when Itachi did it."

Sasuke ground his teeth slightly. _Of course Itachi has to excel even at baking a stupid birthday cake._ He had planned on having the cake baked before Naruto had gotten there but his study group had run late, and then he had realized he didn't have enough eggs so he had to go out and buy some. He just hoped he didn't poison Naruto for his birthday. The batter looked more like toxic waste than anything cake-like.

"Maybe the lumps will melt when you bake it," Naruto offered. He knew this would be a point of pride for Sasuke, so he was really trying hard to take it seriously. He knew that Sasuke was trying to recreate the birthdays that they had had together in the past. But god, Naruto just wanted to get the cake in the oven because he didn't know how much longer he'd be able to keep his hands off Sasuke. Dinner would have to wait. But _then_ he absolutely would make sure Sasuke slept.

"Hn," Sasuke said, clearly skeptical. But he poured the batter into the two pans, and placed them carefully in the oven.

Naruto looked at the smaller bowl, which had something white and lumpy in it. "Was this supposed to go in the cake?"

" _No_. It's the frosting," Sasuke said through slightly gritted teeth.

Naruto eyed the thick, lumpy mixture with some trepidation, then dipped his finger in and brought it to his lips to taste. Surprisingly, it wasn't bad. Gritty... evidently Sasuke had not known the difference between regular sugar and powdered sugar. But considering that the boy hated sweets, this was not surprising.  At least the taste was decent.

Naruto caught Sasuke's eyes fixed on the finger he still had in his mouth. "Mmmmmm," the blond said, slowly sliding his finger in and out of his mouth, then swirling his tongue around the digit to get all the frosting off. "Not bad. Though you're not supposed to make the frosting until the cake is baked and cooled," Naruto said. "This will dry out before the cake is ready."

Sasuke's eyes were still on Naruto's finger, so his frown was delayed by several seconds. "Whatever. Like you know anything about baking, either."

Naruto grinned, and dusted a spot of flour off Sasuke's face. "This is an awesome birthday present, Sasuke," Naruto said, his voice husky. "Thank you." It was rare that Sasuke would attempt something he was less than perfect at, especially in front of others. To Naruto, this was an even bigger gift than the cake itself.

"Tch," Sasuke said, the smallest blush appearing on his cheeks. "You haven't even tasted it yet."

There was a smear of cake batter on Sasuke's thumb. Naruto grabbed Sasuke's hand and pulled the thumb into his mouth. "Mmmm," he said again, but this time Sasuke could feel the vibrations of Naruto's voice against his flesh. It was weird how the stimulation of his thumb was pumping blood directly into his cock. "It tastes great."

"Salmonella, Dobe. Don't eat raw eggs," Sasuke wasn't quite able to keep his voice steady, and Naruto's eyes turned instantly predatory.

Naruto held onto Sasuke's hand and pulled the thumb slowly out of his mouth, then slid it back in, sucking as he did. It had been a week since they'd had sex, and Sasuke had been coiled tighter than a spring with the stress of the upcoming exams and all the projects that were due. His eyes fluttered closed and a rumbling noise escaped his pale lips. The motion of Sasuke's thumb in Naruto's mouth was repeated, blue eyes locked with black.

Pull.

Suck.

Slide.

After several repetitions, Naruto slowly pulled Sasuke's thumb out of his mouth then slid his hands up Sasuke's neck into the soft, black hair and pulled his face close. Their lips were just a whisper from touching. "I love the cake," Naruto whispered against the pale lips. He held back a smirk when he felt the tremor go through Sasuke's body. "And you look so fucking sexy right now, I think I'm about to cum and I haven't even kissed you yet."

Sasuke's hands viced around Naruto's waist, pulling him close and revealing the truth in Naruto's words by the rampant erection he found pressed against him. Sasuke smirked and crushed their mouths together. Maybe it didn't matter if the cake was inedible after all. He fisted his hands into Naruto's hair and pulled, forcing the blond's head back, baring the tan throat to his lips and teeth as they slid from the pink lips down along the golden flesh.

God he needed this. Sasuke felt all the stress untwist from his body, washed away by the hot blood pounding through him.

The small amount of time he had been getting to spend with Naruto over the past few weeks had not been anywhere near enough. He had promised Itachi that he would graduate this year, and he would do it. But he lived for the one day a week where he actually got to be with Naruto. He knew that it hurt Naruto that he had told him that they couldn't study with each other anymore, but - as much as it shamed Sasuke to admit it - he couldn't be next to the blond and think about anything other than _this_. Touching Naruto in every way possible. They had almost gotten caught _twice_ in the library bathrooms. He wasn't sure if sex in a public place were grounds for expulsion, but he didn't really want to find out. He assumed (hoped) that after they'd been together for a while this insane physical desire would abate somewhat. But it hadn't yet.

It would have to, or he'd lose his mind. But in the meantime, Sasuke simply focused on trying to devour his lover.

"Naruto," Sasuke groaned, thrusting his hips against Naruto's, his mouth leaving a trail of bruises down the tan throat and over his collar bone. Frustrated by the collar of the T-shirt his mouth encountered, he yanked it over Naruto's head and threw it aside. He felt Naruto's hands fumbling with the fastenings of Sasuke's pants and realized that Naruto was just as desperate for this as he was. Relief and lust flooded through him in equal measures. He wasn't the only one feeling this way, this compulsion to touch and be touched.

Thank god.

Sasuke let his teeth scrape along Naruto's jaw, and felt his pants and boxers being pulled down to his knees. He vaguely realized Naruto was reaching behind him for something on the counter, but paid it no mind as he continued to bite and suck a path across Naruto's bare chest. His eyes flew open when he felt something cool and thick sliding over his aching erection.

He looked down to see that Naruto had grabbed a fist full of frosting and was pumping it along Sasuke's erection. The heat of the blood in his cock was causing the frosting to slide and liquefy on contact, the subtle grittiness adding friction despite the lubrication of the liquefying sweet.

"We can't have all your hard work go to waste, ne, Sasuke?" Naruto asked. His hand had squeezed slightly when he said the word 'hard', and Sasuke would have smirked if he had been in control of his faculties. But he was too busy working the buttons on Naruto's pants.

Naruto dropped to his knees before Sasuke could finish his task. "You've been studying too much. Let me get some of that tension out of you," Naruto's voice was low. He ran the flat of his tongue along the underside of Sasuke's shaft, pulling the excess sticky frosting to the head, then covering it with his mouth and slurping it up.

"Fffuucck," Sasuke shivered as Naruto's mouth descended down his entire length, swallowing him entirely.

Naruto's lips tightened around Sasuke's cock and slid back up, the sugar creating extra friction along Sasuke's shaft that was almost painful, but made each movement of Naruto's mouth even more intense.

Naruto's head began to bob at a faster pace and Sasuke braced his legs apart, throwing his head back at the intensity of the sensation. The sugar dissolved in the heat and saliva, but the oil from the melted frosting left a slick layer over Sasuke's hard flesh. He pulled Naruto's head up, panting in the effort to keep from climaxing.

"Want you now," Sasuke said almost incoherently, jerking Naruto up against the counter and pulling Naruto's pants and boxers down in one swift motion.

"God, don't wait, Sas," Naruto said, knowing it sounded like he was begging, but he had been dreaming about Sasuke all damn week.

Sasuke leaned over him, burying his face in the back of Naruto's neck and breathing in his scent as he slowly pushed into Naruto. Naruto gasped at the sensation of being taken without preparation. Sasuke slid his hands up and down Naruto's taut flanks as he tried to slow his motions and soothe his lover.

They both paused for several seconds, shaking with the force of their need to continue but knowing it would be painful if they did. Finally, Naruto pushed back into Sasuke, letting him know when it was ok to move.

The exfoliation effect of the sugar had left Sasuke incredibly sensitized, and he nearly came with the first hard thrust he drove into Naruto.

"Holy fuck, Naruto," he shuddered, then paused to try to gather himself long enough send Naruto over first. He wasn't sure he'd make it. He had never felt a sensation this close to pain but this intense with pleasure.

He reached around and grabbed Naruto's cock and started pumping, while his hips gained momentum. He placed kisses along the back of Naruto's neck and shoulder blade. When he saw goose bumps break out over the skin, he placed a long, hard lick up over Naruto's spine from the top of his shoulder blades to the back of his neck. Naruto arched back in a near scream as Sasuke continued pounding into him.

They came in shuddering waves, and Sasuke literally blacked out by the force of his orgasm. He opened his eyes to find himself sitting on the floor of the kitchen, leaning up against Naruto, with his pants still around his ankles.

"Why is it that it's your birthday, but I feel like I'm the one who got the present?" Sasuke asked, feeling more wrung out than he had ever felt in his life.

"Hmmm," Naruto said, placing an open-mouthed kiss on Sasuke's neck. "I think this is one of those 'win-win' situations they talk about in your business classes."

He pulled Sasuke up and they removed the rest of their clothing, then went to wash up in the shower. Sasuke was looking even more exhausted as the warm water washed over them.

"When was the last time you slept?"

"Last night," Sasuke said, looking irritated.

"How much sleep did you get?" Naruto asked, not letting up.

"A few hours. Don't worry. I'm fine."

Naruto looked at him skeptically. "Let's go lay down for a bit."

"Don't you want to get dinner first?"

"I had a late lunch. I want to just relax. We'll order something out in a bit."

Sasuke was too tired to argue. They lay down under the blankets, not even bothering to put clothes on.

Within two minutes, Sasuke was asleep.

This was Naruto's real present, though Sasuke would never know. He ran his fingers slowly through the soft black hair, watching the relaxed expression on his friend's face that was only ever present when he slept. He looked so much younger like this. The pinched, stressed expression that had been on the pale face when Naruto had first entered the apartment was replaced by one of relaxed satiation. Naruto lay back on the pillow, closing his eyes and trying to decide what to order for dinner.

The smell of smoke suddenly penetrated Naruto's senses, and he tried to think for a minute where it could be coming from.

 _"_ Oh _, fuck,_ the _cake_!" Naruto jumped out of bed, trying to optimize both speed and stealth to not wake up Sasuke but get to the ovens before they set the fire alarm off in the apartment complex.

He didn't make it. The alarm started going off just as we wrenched the oven doors open. Smoke billowed out as he grabbed a dish towel and threw the smoking cake pans into the sink. Sasuke stumbled out of the bedroom, eyes still glazed with sleep. Their eyes met and locked for a second before they both burst out laughing. Naruto didn't know when the last time he had heard Sasuke honestly laugh was, but he knew it had been years.

"We'd better at least pull some pants on and go out and explain to the neighbors that there is no fire," Naruto said, still gasping with laughter.

They had to repeatedly assure Sasuke's panicked neighbor that there was in fact no fire in the building, and it was just a burned cake. Finally, she agreed that she wouldn't be calling the fire department.

Naruto and Sasuke went back into the apartment and opened the windows, putting a fan on to try to clear the smoke out. Sasuke stared at the two blackened circles roughly of cake size and shape smoking in his sink.

He felt Naruto's arms wrap around his waist, and heard Naruto's voice low and hot in his ear. "Best fucking birthday cake in history."

Sasuke leaned his head back against Naruto's shoulder, and smirked. "Hn."

"Now I'm ordering us dinner and you are going back to sleep," Naruto said firmly.

-xXx-

Naruto and Gaara were changing out of their gear from Thursday night's sparring session with Jiraya and his club.

"You guys want to go out for a bit tonight?" A girl with long dark hair coiled into two buns on either side of her head asked, her voice carrying into the changing room.

"TenTen! That is a fantastic idea! We can enjoy the energy of our youths together!" Rock Lee had already changed from the green jumpsuit he used for sparring into the green jumpsuit he used for everything else.

Naruto and Gaara walked out of the changing room and looked around at the small group still assembled. Jiraya only took on students by invitation, and the group consisted of two girls - TenTen and Matsuri - and four boys - Gaara, Lee, Naruto, and Shino. Gaara and Naruto were the youngest of the group, with the others being in their third or fourth years.

"Will you two join us?" Matsuri asked. Naruto recognized her as the girl who had been watching Gaara when they would spar earlier. Gaara appeared to have no interest in her, however, so Naruto hadn't mentioned it. Gaara turned to Naruto.

"Do you want to head back to the dorms?"

Naruto shrugged. He _wanted_ to swing by the library to see if Sasuke was around. But then he remembered that it was Thursday, which meant Sasuke wasn't even on campus. He'd be at the office.

Jiraya came in. "Let's all go out. I have the perfect place in mind."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Pervert! We are _not_ going to some skanky whore house with you."

TenTen appeared to choke on something, while Lee looked slightly confused but still enthusiastic.

Shino, as usual, appeared expressionless though it was hard to tell now that his sunglasses were back on and his jacket covered half his face.

"No, brat. We'll go to a nice club. Nothing improper."

"Yeah, except Gaara and I are still under age," Naruto said dryly. His guardian didn't need to know he had a fake ID. He might not be the world's best guardian, but Naruto was not about to risk it being confiscated.

"So don't drink then," Jiraya shrugged. "Or you can stay here and we'll all go."

"Whatever. Gaara, you want to go for a bit, then head back?"

Gaara looked like he'd rather do just about anything other than go clubbing, but he just shrugged. He was mildly curious to see what his sensei thought would be a 'proper' club, given all the stories he'd heard from Naruto.

Naruto sent a quick text to Sasuke letting him know where he was going in case he got out early and wanted to meet up, then they headed out.

They hadn't been at the club for more than twenty minutes when Jiraya's expression stilled. Naruto followed his gaze to see Nagato, Yahiko, Hidan and Deidara walking into the club.

-xXx-

_to be continued..._

Naruto got some birthday Sasucake. (groans at own bad joke... whatever. Did I say how tired I am?). Evidently I like to write fluff when I am exhausted. Who knew? BUT there is trouble ahead. Obviously.


	16. Warnings

-xXx-

Nagato noticed Jiraya and Naruto immediately, a look of slight apprehension crossing his face. He paused just inside the doorway, looking at their group. Yahiko followed Nagato's gaze and felt no such hesitation. He walked over directly to Naruto, Hidan and Deidara following behind.

"Naruto! Come party with us, yeah?" Deidara said. "You haven't gone out with us in forever. Let's get smashed, hn.  I promise not to let you get another tattoo."

Hidan snickered. He was already grinding against the nearest hot dancing body. He looked sexy enough wearing black jeans with just an open black jacket, no shirt, and a choker around his neck that pretty much anyone - male or female - was willing to dance with him. "That was fucking classic. Naruto, you sexy bitch. You should have seen yourself. Didn't even flinch when they did that big ass tattoo on your stomach. And the piercing. It was fucking awesome. Too bad we didn't have Sai take a fucking video of that night. Though we didn't get to see your ass. Still, woulda been classic."

Naruto's cheeks were now scarlet. He looked at Jiraya to see if the man was having any reaction, and was relieved - though a bit curious - to discover that the man was paying absolutely no attention to their conversation. His eyes remained locked on Nagato.

Slowly, Nagato walked over. "Jiraya Sensei. It's good to see you. I didn't realize that you were back in town," Nagato said, his voice cautious, but with honest affection showing.

"I just got back at the start of the semester," Jiraya said, his voice less warm. "I hear that you and Naruto have become friends. That's quite a coincidence."

Hidan and Deidara continued to banter back and forth (while Hidan continued to move from one 'dance partner' to the next but staying close enough to the table to continue in the conversation), largely teasing Naruto and commenting on which of the people out on the dance floor they planned to fuck tonight. Naruto ignored them to focus on the strangely tense conversation that was going on between his guardian and Nagato.

"Yes. I actually met Naruto at one of the writers' workshops. And I... wanted to get to know him," Nagato said, his glance sliding to Naruto, clearly aware that the boy was listening to their conversation. And uncomfortable about it.

"How has your health been lately? Are you still having... problems?" Jiraya asked, his voice a strange mixture of both concern and wariness.

"No. I'm better. I... it's been a long time. And things are better now," Nagato said. Naruto had the feeling there was a lot more to this conversation than what he was catching. But he wasn't going to push them to disclose whatever personal back-story this was referring to in a crowded bar. He'd talk to Nagato and Jiraya separately and try to find out what this was all about.

He felt a hand slide on his shoulder, and turned to see Yahiko standing behind him, holding a drink. Evidently he had gone to the bar and ordered while Nagato and Jiraya had been talking. He put one down in front of Naruto.

Naruto shrugged Yahiko's hand off his shoulder. "I thought you were on tour. Did it end early?" He ignored the drink. He'd learned that lesson already.

"We're playing in Suna for the next three nights. I'm just in town for the shows, but I had tonight off, so I decided to go out with Nagato and the guys. Zetsu is coming by soon. And what about your little boyfriend? Is he here?"

"No. He's... really busy this semester. He had to work," Naruto said, feeling somehow nervous talking with Yahiko about Sasuke.

Yahiko knocked back his entire drink, then set down the empty glass in front of Naruto. "You're not drinking tonight?" Yahiko asked, looking pointedly at the other drink sitting untouched on the table.

"Um, no. I don't think that would be a very good idea," Naruto said. He looked over at Gaara, who was watching Yahiko through narrowed eyes.

Yahiko didn't even spare Gaara a glance. Instead, he leaned over Naruto, picking up the full drink he had given to him, and whispered in Naruto's ear, "That's too bad. I think it would be a _great_ idea. Why don't you ditch these guys and come back to the VIP section with us? We can catch up on old times, talk about the next album, whatever. Since your boyfriend is 'busy'."

Naruto could smell the alcohol on Yahiko's breath and realized that the drink the man had just had was far from the first he'd had this evening. It didn't surprise him. He knew the band partied hard, especially when they were on tour. The stress of performing every night, needing to be 'on' and perfect and full of energy took a high toll.

Naruto twisted around in his chair, putting his hand on Yahiko's chest to keep the man from leaning in closer. "Yahiko, I'm here with friends. I think you should go. We'll catch up when you're sober," Naruto said in a low voice, not wanting his words to carry and draw attention to the situation. He was sure there were paparazzi following Yahiko. They always were when he went out.

A voice coming from behind him almost made Naruto jump. "What, I get a little busy with work and school, and I find you out drinking and pawing your ex?" Sasuke's voice dripped with seething anger.

Naruto turned to see Sasuke standing at their table looking extremely pissed off.

"Sasuke! You made it," Naruto said, trying to show through his voice that he was glad Sasuke was here, trying to extract himself from Yahiko but discovering that he needed to keep his hand in place on the man's chest, as Yahiko had no intention of backing off. "Yahiko just had a little too much to drink. They're heading to the back room now. Why don't you come sit with us here? I didn't think you'd be able to come."

"Yeah, it's pretty clear that you weren't expecting me," Sasuke said coldly, his eyes running up and down Yahiko, who was still half leaning against Naruto's palm.

Naruto gave Yahiko a little shove, and he stumbled back a few steps. "Are you... Sasuke, are you fucking kidding me? I didn't come here with Yahiko, he -" Naruto started to try to explain, but Sasuke cut him off.

"Oh, so then this is just some guy who looks a lot like him?" Sasuke's eyes were locked on Yahiko's smirk.

"Yahiko came here with Nagato, Dei, and Hidan. I didn't know they'd be here. I came here with the sparring club."

"So getting drunk with some guy you fucked on TV was just... by chance?"

"Sasuke, you asshole, I haven't had a single drink. Gaara and I are just hanging out with the sparring club. Yahiko just came in like five minutes ago. What's wrong with you?"

Sasuke had been shocked when he'd walked in the club and seen Yahiko whispering in Naruto's ear. He couldn't hear what they'd said, but he had noticed the way the blond had turned toward the man and put his hand on his chest. He had felt his stomach turn to ice. Sasuke was tired and stressed and all he had wanted was to spend an hour or two out with his boyfriend and go back to his apartment and have sex and go to sleep. He didn't want to deal with all this shit of Naruto's famous, hot-as-hell ex draped all over him and listen to excuses for how that had happened. It shouldn't have happened at all. Period.

Sasuke was willing to accept that Naruto might work with Yahiko on another album, but this was clearly not work. It crossed the line. He wasn't even listening to the words pouring out of Naruto's mouth to explain the situation. Without a word, Sasuke turned on his heel to go.

"Sasuke... that's your name, right?" Yahiko said, his words slightly slurred. "Nice hair," Yahiko said, his voice mocking.

"Yahiko..." Naruto said warningly, seeing the way Sasuke had frozen in his tracks.

"Hey, since you're leaving, I guess that's permission of a sort. Clearly you're fine leaving him here with me," Yahiko continued. "Funny. I thought you guys had known each other since you were kids. I haven't even known Naruto for a year, but..." Yahiko looked at Naruto. "... even I know that he wouldn't cheat, if he were with me. You sure you made the right choice there, Naruto? Is he really the one you want to be with? Seems like an ass to me."

"You fucking asshole," Sasuke said, taking a step toward Yahiko. Gaara stood up and blocked Sasuke while Naruto stood and shoved Yahiko over to Hidan and Deidara.

"Hidan, Dei - take him to the back room. Get him some girls or some guys or whatever," Naruto said, shoving Yahiko over to them. Naruto glared at Yahiko. "For a guy who didn't call me after everything went down, you sure play the jealous ex pretty well. Knock it off."

Yahiko laughed, "What, it's not like I was going to jump you here in the club. I just wanted to be by you. And catch up. You smell nice. But I'm not going to fuck you in a club full of paparazzi. Your little boyfriend needs to relax."

Gaara kept his hand on Sasuke's arm, slowly but forcibly guiding him towards the exit. "Let's go outside. No point causing a scene in the club." Sasuke stood for a moment, glaring at Yahiko. But Naruto was already walking away from Yahiko and heading towards Gaara, so Sasuke turned and headed for the exit.

Naruto paused to say goodbye to the rest of the group, who had been watching with tense attention the scene that had unfolded.

"Hey, Pervert, I'm heading out. I'll come see you tomorrow. We need to catch up," Naruto said to Jiraya. The conversation with Nagato still playing in his mind despite the scene that had just happened. He turned to Nagato. "Nagato, it was good seeing you. Later, guys," Naruto said a final goodbye to the rest of the sparring club, and turned to follow Sasuke and Gaara out. Hidan's voice stopped him.

"Damn, blondie," Hidan said to Naruto, watching as Sasuke walked out of the club with Gaara. "Your boyfriend's fuckin' hot. I'd totally bang him. If you don't sort things out with him, you let me know. Shit, I don't even know which one of you I'd do first."

Deidara laughed. "Hidan, somehow I don't think Sasuke's your type, yeah? That kid's already got a pole wedged so far up his ass I don't think there would be room for your dick, hn," Dei turned to Naruto, and his face softened. "Go talk to him, yeah? It's hard to be in competition with Yahiko for someone."

Naruto looked at Sasuke's stiff back. "Maybe. But he's still a fucking asshole. Both of them are."

Deidara grimaced sympathetically. "But you like assholes, yeah? That's why you picked them. This is just part of the package. Explosive sex, explosive tempers."

"Shit," Naruto said, walking out after Gaara and Sasuke, knowing that Deidara wasn't wrong.

. . . . . .

Gaara and Sasuke were standing just outside the door of the club.

"Why did you stop me from hitting that guy? He totally deserved it," Sasuke bit out, glaring at Gaara.

"You think it would be good for your business to get your face in the papers for a bar fight over your boyfriend? Paparazzi follow Yahiko everywhere. They'd only been there a few minutes, which is why we weren't swarmed yet. As it is, I'm sure we'll see something about this in the tabloids. You want to get into it with him, fine. Just don't do it in a public place." With that, Gaara turned and headed to his motorcycle.

He looked at Naruto. "You coming back to the dorm tonight?"

"Yeah. I'll be there in a minute," Naruto said, then turned to look at Sasuke. He walked up to him and blew a big breath into his face. "See that? No alcohol. Honestly, I don't know which I am more angry about, the fact that you didn't believe me when I said I just bumped into Yahiko here, or the fact that you think I would be dumb enough to go out drinking with him when we agreed not to see other people. I'm dating you. We talked about what that meant. It means I don't have sex with someone who is not you. Which means I wouldn't get drunk and go out with people I know I can't trust in those situations."

"What, you're going to be mad at me, but not Yahiko?"

"I'm mad at Yahiko, but he's not the one I'm dating so as far as I am concerned right now he can go fuck himself."

Sasuke didn't pretend that he wasn't just a little bit pleased with that answer, though he didn't really know what to say in response.

Naruto continued, "Look, you're busy. I get it. Do I love it? No. Of course not. I am dating you because I like to spend time with you. So I miss you and yes I get frustrated sometimes that I don't get to. I wish it was like it was back in high school, where we had every class together and hung out all day after school with each other. But as much as I'd love to live in each other's pockets for the next fifty years, I know that that's not going to happen with you because of your career and ambitions and just... who you are. And I've made my peace with that... at least, I'm trying to. But if you really think that I would meet up with Yahiko behind your back because you don't spend all the time together, then what the fuck kind of relationship do you think we're in? You are going to have a busy life, Sasuke. But in order for that to work with us together, you need to trust me. And I need to trust you. And if that's not the case, then... then I don't know what we're doing."

Naruto walked over and got on his motorcycle, pulling on his helmet. Sasuke stood there, looking almost confused.

"How did this somehow become my fault? I get done from a fucking endless day of classes and work. I get a text from you to meet up at a club, and I show up to find your drunken ex all over you, and your hand on his fucking chest, with drinks all around you. What was I supposed to think? How was I supposed to react?"

"You were _supposed_ to ask me what the hell was going on, and give me a chance to actually answer the question. If I had been drunk or had met Yahiko at the bar intentionally, then you totally would have had the license to kick my ass over it. But you didn't even listen. What kind of trust is that?" Naruto started his bike, afraid that if he stayed he end up making this worse. "I know you're tired and mad. But you need to go home and figure out what you want, Sasuke. Because this here tonight was bullshit."

Sasuke watched as Naruto drove away. He was still mad, but some of what Naruto said made sense.

He walked to his car and sat there for a few minutes. He trusted Naruto. He did. It was Yahiko that he didn't trust. But he had mainly felt anger towards Naruto, for spending time with Yahiko instead of him. For touching Yahiko instead of him. For not throwing Yahiko across the room when he'd come close to him.

Sasuke really wished he had something to punch right then. He finally had a night free, but he was going to be spending it alone. He decided he needed to go home and cool off. Then he'd try to call Naruto and talk this through.

. . . .

Ten minutes later, Naruto walked into his dorm room as Gaara was just taking out his laptop. Gaara paused, then closed the screen and looked over at Naruto.

"You sure this is where you should be right now?" Gaara asked, his voice low but curious.

Naruto threw himself down on his bed. "I think... I think if I went to his place right now I'd make it worse."

Gaara looked at him consideringly for a few seconds. "Are you saying you wouldn't have been upset if you saw one of the girls Sasuke had hooked up with hanging on him at a bar?"

Naruto leveled a look at his friend. "Of course I would be upset. I get upset just thinking about him with all those other people, and we weren't even dating then."

Gaara raised a hairless brow, _so then why are you pissed at Sasuke?_

Able to interpret the non-verbalized question, Naruto answered. "I'm mad at him for this because... yeah, I would be upset at seeing someone hang on him. Of course. But I would have trusted him enough to let him explain what was going on. Sasuke and I were really clear with each other that we were exclusive now. After all the time apart and how long we'd known each other, we skipped the 'casual dating' phase. And I know Sasuke well enough that I trust him not to lie to me about something like that. If he wanted to go back to fucking truckloads of girls, he'd tell me. It would kill me, but he'd tell me _before_ he did it. So if I walked into a club and saw someone he banged once standing by him, I wouldn't assume that he was trying to hook up with her. I'd ask him about it."

Naruto sat up, clearly too restless to stay laying down. "So either Sasuke thinks I'm a liar, and doesn't trust me, or he thinks I'm fucking retarded and don't know that going out and getting drunk with Yahiko would be a bad idea. Either way, I'm pretty pissed off with him. He _always_ acted like I was an idiot. But I didn't really think he actually thought that."

Gaara digested what Naruto was saying. "Did you ever consider that maybe he didn't really think it through, and just reacted at seeing his boyfriend touching someone he's probably still a bit jealous and insecure about?"

"Sasuke isn't insecure about Yahiko," Naruto said automatically, then paused. The idea of an insecure Sasuke was... like frozen fire. Not possible. Was it? "I mean, _obviously_ I want to be with Sasuke. Not Yahiko. Yahiko and I just had that one time thing, and it's over. We never really even _dated_. But Sasuke and I... we've been together since we were kids. I'd never choose Yahiko over him, even if Yahiko wanted an actual relationship and not just a video extra. Besides, Sasuke never 'just reacts'. That guy always thinks everything through. He's like a freaking machine."

Gaara made an annoyed sound.

"What?" Naruto asked.

"You're doing the same thing to him that you're accusing him of doing to you. You say he always jokes about you being dumb. And so you were mad when you thought he was treating you like you had no judgment. But you always joke that he's a cold bastard. And now you're treating him like he actually has no emotions. He cares about you, and he walked in to a scene that probably freaked the hell out of him. He's human. Of course he's going to react. Give the guy a break."

Naruto looked nonplussed. He turned Gaara's words over in his head. "I guess... maybe. But he still needs to trust me more than this. His life is going to be insanely busy if its even a little like Itachi's. If he can't trust me enough to not freak out when he sees me in public with someone else, then... he just _has_ to trust me."

Gaara shrugged. "True. But you guys haven't been dating for very long, and did a dick poor job trusting each other or making sense in the year before this, so give it some time. But not talking to him isn't going to help."

"I guess. Maybe I should -" Naruto paused when his cell went off. It was Sasuke's ring tone, "Fancy" by Iggy Azalea. Naruto had picked it because it was currently Sasuke's least favorite song in the universe. Of course, Sasuke had retaliated by making Naruto's ring tone "I Feel Pretty". Naruto pulled his phone out of his pocket.

" _Naruto?"_ Sasuke's voice sounded slightly hesitant.

"Hey, Sasuke."

" _Are you back in your dorm room_?"

"Yeah."

There was an awkward silence.

" _I - can we talk about this_?" Sasuke asked. The fact that he was asking this almost took Naruto by surprise.

"Um... sure. Should I... come over?"

" _Yeah_. _I don't... want this to mess things up between us,_ " Sasuke's voice sounded upset, not really angry anymore.

"Yeah... me, neither," Naruto said, and meant it. "I'll be right over."

" _Hn,"_ Sasuke gave his standard 'goodbye'. Naruto had a small smile. _My bastard._

Gaara smirked hearing the end of the conversation, and re-opened his laptop. "See you tomorrow," he said as Naruto grabbed his keys.

"Hey, Gaara," Naruto said, his voice gruff. "Thanks."

Gaara ignored him, continuing to flick through on his laptop. But Naruto could see the tiny smile on his face. He grinned in response, and headed out.

Gaara called out, though, just as Naruto was going to close the door to their room. "Naruto, no matter what happens tonight, you need to talk to Jiraya Sensei tomorrow. I know I wasn't the only one who thought that conversation he had with Nagato tonight was weird. And definitely involved you. Find out if there's something you need to worry about other than Sasuke."

Naruto nodded. He hadn't forgotten. But first he needed to deal with his boyfriend before things got completely out of control.

-xXx-

Sasuke threw his keys across the room when he got back from the club, then paced around his empty apartment trying to put his thoughts in order. He didn't feel guilty about getting angry at seeing Yahiko all over Naruto. He was pretty sure that he was justified in not being happy after walking in on that scene.

He felt... somewhat more guilty about assuming that Naruto had been drunk, and not questioning whether or not Naruto had known Yahiko would be there. What Naruto had shouted at him outside of the club made sense. Of _course_ he didn't think Naruto would cheat. Whatever people could say about the blond, he was honest almost to a fault. He would never cheat, in any circumstance.

Well, at least, not when he was aware of what was going on around him. Which was why Sasuke had been so upset to see the empty glass sitting on the table in front of him with Yahiko and the others hanging around him. He had heard enough stories about what Naruto's life had been like before he and Sasuke had finally gotten their act together to know what kind of things happened when Naruto went out drinking with those guys.

Sasuke blew out a breath. Naruto was right in that if they were going to be in a relationship for the long haul, they needed to trust each other. And up until tonight, Sasuke really felt like he _did_ trust Naruto. But that didn't explain why he had automatically assumed Naruto was getting drunk and about to end up sleeping with Yahiko if he hadn't walked in when he did.

That wasn't trust, and Sasuke acknowledge that Naruto did have some reason to be a little angry. Especially since Naruto was evidently being careful to _not_ drink around his old crew. He had been being responsible, and Sasuke had assumed he was fucking up.

Sasuke grabbed picked up his keys from the floor. The apartment felt too stifling, despite the air conditioning being on. He walked outside and sat down on the steps to the building. _Anyone_ would have been seeing their boyfriend with an ex. And it's not like he broke up with Naruto, or punched him or anything crazy. He just walked out.

 _But_ he should have let Naruto explain. He shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. And... he should have known Naruto wouldn't do what it looked like he was doing. If this had happened back in high school, Sasuke would reacted differently. But he had seen Naruto slowly sinking into the alcohol and party scene, and he hadn't really been sure if that had changed since they had been dating. They hadn't really talked about it explicitly, and they didn't have much time together. He didn't really know how Naruto spent most of his evenings. He had just assumed it was studying or hanging out with Gaara or other friends on campus. But when he had walked in and seen _that_ , it had made Sasuke think about all the things Naruto had done when they were apart last year.

And Sasuke had just reacted. As angry as Sasuke had felt, though, he hadn't meant to hurt Naruto by making him feel that he didn't think Naruto was capable of keeping his word. Or of keeping it in his pants.

He needed to talk to Naruto.

Sasuke pulled out his phone and dialed Naruto's number. At least this time, he knew the call would go through. Whether Naruto would choose to answer it was something else.

. . . . .

Sasuke was still sitting on the steps to his apartment when Naruto drove up five minutes later. Even though it was close by, Naruto had decided to drive to save time.

Sasuke stood as Naruto got off his bike and pulled off his helmet. They looked at each other for a few seconds, neither exactly sure where to start.

"So..." Naruto said, scratching the back of his head. "... thanks for letting me come over. I just... thought it would be better if we talked this out in person."

Sasuke looked at him, then nodded. "Yeah. I... thought about what you said. And some of it made sense."

Sasuke threw a sharp glance at Naruto, as though to be sure that this didn't come across as complete agreement with _everything_ Naruto had said. But it was a start. More than Sasuke usually gave in their arguments.

"Ok, so... should we talk about it here, or are we going inside?" Naruto asked, not really sure if Sasuke was meeting him outside because he didn't want to let him in, or if Sasuke had just been waiting here for him to come.

Sasuke didn't answer, but turned and walked up the steps into the apartment building. Naruto followed. Sasuke didn't seem angry anymore. But he seemed... uncertain. Which was something Naruto wasn't used to seeing in his friend.

Once they got inside, Naruto closed the door to Sasuke's apartment. They took off their shoes, still not speaking, then Naruto followed Sasuke to the living room. Sasuke sat on the couch. Naruto hesitated, then sat in the arm chair next to the couch, instead of sitting next to Sasuke as he normally would have.

Sasuke noted this, but didn't say anything.

"My hand was on his chest to push him away, not to touch him," Naruto said abruptly, figuring this was as good a place as any to start this conversation.

Sasuke thought about what he'd seen, and accepted that what Naruto said fit with the way his hand had been placed. He felt a knot of tension uncoil in his stomach. "Was he hitting on you?"

"Sort of. He was really drunk. But he wasn't trying to have sex with me. He was just being a jerk," Naruto stopped, realizing continuing probably wouldn't help things.

"He said you smelled good," Sasuke said, obviously not going to let Naruto get away without full disclosure.

"He... was really drunk," Naruto said, flinching at the possessive anger he saw in Sasuke's expression.

"And you _actually_ think he wasn't wanting to have sex with you?"

"Not right _then_. Yahiko would have sex with just about anyone attractive if the time was right, including you. But he wasn't trying to do it then. Like I said, he was just drunk and in my space. I didn't want to make a scene, especially with the Pervert and Nagato right there, so I was just keeping my hand on him to keep him from getting too close. There was nothing going on. Even if you hadn't shown up, nothing would have happened. I was going to leave with Gaara. I wouldn't be dating you if I still wanted to be with him, Sasuke. I would never do that to either of us."

"I know," Sasuke looked down, unclenching the fists he didn't realize he had made. "I didn't mean to sound like I thought you were cheating."

"Well, either you thought I was cheating or you thought I was stupid," Naruto said, his voice hardening a bit.

"Look, the last year you have to admit you did some pretty stupid things. You drank a lot, and hooked up with people. I just -" Sasuke started.

Naruto stood up, seriously angry again. "Yeah, I drank a lot, and hooked up sometimes. Because I was trying to get over _you_ and find a way to forget about you. I got drunk fully expecting to get laid. It wasn't an accident. The only time that I got in trouble was when someone spiked my drink. But I learned from that and I am more careful now. But did you really think that I wouldn't realize that I'd have to stop that shit when we started dating? Aside from the fact that my whole reason for doing it was gone now that I finally _had_ you, I take my word seriously, Sasuke. I told you that I wouldn't sleep with anyone else, and I am going to keep my word. Being drunk isn't an excuse, and I know it. So I haven't been going out drinking this semester. I take our relationship seriously, asshole. I'd never risk it for some stupid shit like that."

Sasuke looked at Naruto, not exactly sure what to say. He heard the accusation in the last part of it, and he supposed it was justified. Sasuke _should_ know Naruto well enough to know that he would take them seriously. He did know that. But it hadn't stopped him from reacting the way he did.

Naruto continued. "I mean, you slept around even more than I did. But you don't see me setting up video cameras in your bedroom to be sure that you aren't banging your neighbors or the librarian or whatever. Because I trust you. You did stupid stuff, too. But I am _assuming_ that you're not doing it anymore. Right?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, but there was a small smirk on his face. "I wouldn't mind if you put a video camera in the bedroom, as long as you don't turn it into a music video."

Naruto chuckled a little, then scrubbed his hands over his face as he felt the tension between them start to ease. "So I take it that's as close to an apology that I'm going to get from you, Bastard?"

Sasuke leaned back into the corner of the sofa. "Come sit by me."

Naruto hesitated. He knew an invitation when he heard one. He was still feeling somewhat upset about the whole thing. But Sasuke had believed him once they had calmed down and talked. He hadn't accused Naruto of anything. And, Naruto conceded, Sasuke did have a right to react to seeing what he had. He supposed that was about as close to an apology from Sasuke as could be expected, given the circumstances. Naruto hadn't exactly apologized either.

And even though Naruto wanted to, he couldn't keep his eyes from sliding over Sasuke's body. It didn't escape his attention that the longer he looked at his boyfriend, the more pronounced the bulge in Sasuke's pants was becoming. Naruto felt an answering heat in his own abdomen. They hadn't seen each other all week.

But he wasn't totally ready to just jump into bed. Naruto walked over to the couch, but sat on the far side, away from Sasuke. The raven smirked, then leaned forward and into Naruto's space.

"Still mad?" He asked.

"I dunno," Naruto said, trying to stay focused on something other than the heat and scent coming off Sasuke.

Sasuke slid his hands up under Naruto's shirt, skimming his fingers along the abdominal muscles that clenched at his touch. "I didn't like seeing him touching you," Sasuke said, his voice low. "I can't apologize for that."

Naruto frowned at his words, trying to fight the almost overwhelming arousal of his touch.

"But, I should have known that you weren't participating," Sasuke said, his fingertips skimming over Naruto's nipples lightly, then the palms rubbing more forcefully, with friction.

Naruto's head fell back, slightly. "Yeah, you should have known that," he managed to say, his voice only slightly shaken.

"And next time I will talk to you first, before jumping to conclusions," Sasuke said, running his tongue along Naruto's collar bone.

" _Fuck_ , Sasuke," Naruto said.

"There's no question about that, Naruto," Sasuke said, slowly sliding his hips along his lover's. "You know, this is our first real fight since we started dating."

"Is it?" Naruto said his gaze dropping to Sasuke's mouth. Unconsciously, he licked his lips.

"And do you know what's great about that?" Sasuke asked, brushing his lips across Naruto's, feeling the shiver in response.

"Yeah. Make-up sex," Naruto decided he'd held out long enough. He grabbed Sasuke's hips and pulled their groins together. Sasuke's ragged groan eased Naruto's pride a bit. Sasuke was at least as desperate as he was for this.

They didn't make it to the bedroom until many hours later.

-xXx-

Naruto swung by Jiraya's office the next morning, but of course the Pervert wasn't there. He'd probably stayed out late drinking. Naruto seriously hoped the guy hadn't hooked up with either of the girls from the sparring club. That would be just... ew.

Naruto wandered over to where Sasuke's last class before lunch would be finishing soon. He wanted to see if they could at least catch lunch together today. After everything that had happened, he was feeling an almost visceral need to see him.

He didn't want to go in and drag Sasuke out, though. He knew that clinginess would only annoy Sasuke. So he waited outside the building, and sat down on a bench under a tree by the entryway. He figured he might have better luck trying to call Jiraya rather than tracking him down in person. He dialed Jiraya's number. Surprisingly, he answered and sounded awake.

"Hey, Pervert. I swung by your office this morning, but you weren't in. Where are you?

_"Naruto, you brat. You'd better not be standing in the hallway outside my office calling me a pervert."_

"Why? Given that they sent you packing for almost a year, I'm guessing the cat's been out of that bag in your department for quite some time."

" _Did you call me just to be annoying? Or did you have something you actually needed."_

 _"_ Yeah, actually... I kinda wanted to talk to you in person."

_"What's wrong? Are you in trouble?"_

"No... I'm fine. I just wanted you to tell me what the deal was with you and Nagato last night."

There was along pause, then, _"Why... did something happen with you and Nagato?"_

"No, nothing happened with me and Nagato. I just... you seemed weird when I told you that we were friends a while back, and then last night, the way you said it to Nagato made me wonder if there's something going on that I should know."

Jiraya sighed. " _It's not really my place to tell you, but I guess... I guess if he hasn't maybe I should. Are you nearby? I'm in my office now, but I have to teach in half an hour._ "

Naruto frowned, "Is this a conversation that needs more than half an hour?"

" _Not with me. I'll give you the little I know. If you want the full story, though, you'll have to talk to Nagato."_

"Ok, I'll be right over," Naruto picked up his backpack, deciding he'd have to catch Sasuke later. He turned to find the raven standing behind him.

"What was that all about?"

"I..." Naruto knew that Sasuke didn't like Nagato. And he had no idea what Jiraya was going to tell him. But he didn't want to keep secrets either. "I'm honestly not sure. The Pervert had kind of a weird reaction when he found out Nagato and I were friends. And then last night, when Nagato showed up, he grilled Nagato about how he knew me. Something about they way he said it seemed... off. Like he didn't believe that it was a coincidence that we knew each other. And he also said something about Nagato's health, like he'd been sick or something. The whole conversation seemed really strange. I was going to ask you if you could come out for lunch with me, but the Pervert only has half an hour before his next class and-"

"Let's go," Sasuke said, swinging his pack over his shoulder and walking in the direction of Jiraya's office.

Naruto jumped up and grabbed his pack. "Do you have time for this? You don't have to come."

Sasuke just glared at him over his shoulder. "Something is not right with that Nagato guy. Even Neji thought so. If he's dangerous to you, I want to know."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "So you can be my big strong boyfriend and protect me? Don't be lame. You might be the one who tops, but I'm better than you in a fight. I don't need your protection. If you start treating me as the girl in this relationship, you're never topping again, believe it."

Sasuke slowed. It was a threat that carried quite a bit of weight with him. "I can be concerned for you. As your boyfriend. It doesn't make you the girl." He turned and pulled Naruto in between the biology building and the chemistry building, then slid his hand along the front of Naruto's pants. "I'm well aware that you're no girl."

Naruto shivered, then shoved Sasuke off. "If you get me hard right when we're going to go see my guardian, I'm totally going to kick your ass. Don't think that Pervert wouldn't notice and say something about it."

Sasuke snickered, but didn't object when Naruto led them out of the narrow alley and continued on towards Jiraya's building.

They reached Jiraya's office, and Naruto opened the door without bothering to knock.

Jiraya looked up, narrowing his eyes slightly at Sasuke. "You two kiss and make up last night then?"

Sasuke just raised an arrogant brow at the perverted professor. "We did more than kiss," he said smugly. Sasuke had very little respect for Naruto's guardian, and didn't feel like pretending he did.

He let out a small hiss when Naruto elbowed him hard in the gut. "We're not here to talk about my sex life. I want to know why you thought it was strange that Nagato and I are friends."

Jiraya paused, trying to decide if there was a way to soften the words, but deciding after a few seconds that directness was probably the best bet.

"Because," Jiraya said, seeming to hesitate before going on, knowing this was not going to go well. "Because he knew your father. Your father was in the process of trying to adopt him when he died."

" _What_?" Naruto said, his face looking pale.

-xXx-

_to be continued..._


	17. Missing

**Author's note:** There is a CLIFFHANGER this chapter. It is intentional, unlike last chapter's which just proved that I am poor at knowing where to end a chapter. I thought I had avoided the cliffy by revealing the secret. Sorry 'bout that. This cliffy is much worse. _Not_ sorry about _that._ :-) 

-xXx-

_"I want to know why you thought it was strange that Nagato and I are friends," Naruto said._

_Jiraya paused, trying to decide if there was a way to soften the words, but deciding after a few seconds that directness was probably the best bet._

_"Because," Jiraya said. He hesitated before going on, knowing this was not going to go well. "Because he knew your father. Your father was in the process of trying to adopt him when he died."_

_"What?" Naruto said, his face looking pale._

Jiraya sighed, knowing that this was going to be painful for Naruto to hear. He had avoided talking about Naruto's parents beyond the basic 'they loved you very much' sorts of things.

"You know that your father was a firefighter. And he died in a fire before you were born. Your mother found out she was pregnant a few weeks after his death. They were engaged, but not yet married. If Minato had known, he would have married her right away. If I had known about you, I would have stayed and raised you from the beginning."

"I know all this. That's why I have my mother's last name instead of my father's. She could hardly eat during the pregnancy and was basically on bed rest the whole time. She didn't know how to contact you, and I came early. She died unexpectedly in labor and there were no living relatives. We don't need to re-hash this," Naruto said tiredly. It was not something he liked to dwell on. He carefully didn't look at Sasuke. They had only talked about the deaths of their parents once. He didn't want any pity or sympathy. It had happened, and life had gone on. There was no point on dwelling on what could have been.

"What you didn't know was that three years before you were born, your father had pulled Nagato out of the fire that killed Nagato's parents. The apartment complex that they had been living in had caught fire in the middle of the night. There was something wrong with the smoke alarm system, and no one woke in time. Over a hundred people died in that fire. By the time the fire department had reached the scene, the building was already ablaze and unsafe to enter. Your father heard someone calling for help from a third floor window. He ran into the building and pulled out Nagato. But the boy's parents had already died of smoke inhalation. Nagato was the only survivor of the entire building. He was ten years old."

Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a glance. They could imagine only too well what that would have done to Nagato.

"Nagato had cooked dinner for his family that night because his mother had been ill. He kept insisting that he must have left the stove on, that the whole thing was his fault. The fire department had determined the source of the fire to be faulty wiring, which was why it started on multiple floors and spread quietly inside the walls before anyone could detect it, but Nagato just couldn't accept that it was not his fault. He... had to be hospitalized. Minato visited him. He was the only one who was able to reach the boy. Slowly, after several months, Minato was able to convince Nagato that it wasn't his fault and he hadn't caused the deaths of his parents and neighbors. He saved that boy twice."

Naruto didn't know what to say. He remembered back to the night Nagato had come into his room, stroking his hair, talking about a nightmare that had kept him up. He had no doubt that it was memories of the fire. He supposed something like that wasn't the kind of thing that you really ever got over. In a way, Naruto was perhaps fortunate that he had no memories of his parents' deaths.

"Your dad was only nineteen at the time. He knew that Nagato would have a hard time being adopted, or even placed in a foster home both because of his age and because he now had a history of mental illness. He tried to adopt him, but was told he had to wait until he was at least twenty-one. He visited Nagato in the orphanage every week, and spent time with him. Kushina met him, and agreed that they would get married and adopt Nagato. As soon as your father turned twenty-one, he applied to adopt him. But..."

"But he died playing hero in another fire," Naruto said numbly.

Jiraya sighed sadly. "Your father was one of the bravest men I've ever known, Naruto."

Naruto breathed out an uncharacteristically bitter laugh. "Yeah. And look what good it did us all."

Sasuke put a hand on Naruto's shoulder. Naruto took a step away, breaking the contact. He couldn't handle pity right now. Sasuke let his hand fall, understanding and knowing not to push.

After several minutes of heavy silence, Sasuke shifted, "Do you think he is unstable? You mentioned he was hospitalized for mental illness."

"I don't know. Minato's death crushed Nagato. First he lost his parents, then he lost the only other person he'd been able to connect with after that. He struggled to accept Minato's death. He insisted on seeing the body, and visited his grave every day for months. Kushina tried to talk with him, but shortly after your father's death, she went on bed rest and was not able to visit the boy. And then she died as well. I don't think he knew that she was pregnant with you. It wasn't something that she would have told a young child. She probably assumed she would have time to tell him later, and maybe even would have pursued the adoption on her own. I wasn't around then, so I didn't know any of this was happening. I only found out years later. But... you look so much like your father, Naruto. And now you are almost at exactly the same age he was when he saved Nagato from the fire. I just think you should know that there is some chance that Nagato might view you in a bit of the same light as he viewed your father, even though Nagato is so much older than you. Or he might be thinking of you as the brother he should have had. I don't know."

Naruto thought about that, about how possessive and protective Nagato seemed to be. His guess was that Nagato didn't really understand either what he needed from Naruto. Naruto didn't know how to feel about this. His thoughts and emotions were just a muddied swirl.

"I know he was institutionalized when he was ten, and again at thirteen when Minato died. I didn't really keep track of him after that. Then one day he showed up in my writing class. His stuff was dark, but he did very well in school. He had friends, girlfriends... he appeared to have stabilized. And of course now he is incredibly successful. It seems like he came out the other side of this ok, despite everything."

Sasuke persisted. "But you were worried when you found out that he had become friends with Naruto."

"Yes. Because it was odd that they should just 'bump into' each other. And it also bothered me that Nagato didn't tell Naruto anything about their shared history after they became friends."

Sasuke and Naruto didn't comment. They understood that last part. Talking about the death of your parents and how it changed you wasn't something they discussed with anyone. Ever. No matter how long they had known their other friends, this sort of thing just cut too deep to be shared.

Jiraya looked at the clock on the wall. "I have to get to class, kiddo. You ok?"

Naruto shrugged, but nodded. The older man grabbed his notebook, threw one last concerned glance at Naruto, then headed down the hall to the lecture room.

Naruto and Sasuke stayed in his office for several minutes, neither speaking. Finally Naruto sighed. "God, life just fucking _sucks_ sometimes doesn't it?"

Sasuke let out a short laugh. "Yeah. Pretty much."

Naruto blew out a breath. "Look, I know you have classes the rest of the day. You should go."

"What about you?" Sasuke asked.

"I have one more class. Then I'm done. I think I need to just... think."

"I'll swing by your room after my last class. Come over to my place tonight. We can have dinner and hang out."

"Yeah, ok," Naruto said a little numbly.

Sasuke had felt uncomfortable ever since he had met Nagato, feeling like the man's obsession with Naruto was somehow dangerous, or at least unhealthy. Knowing the reason why didn't eliminate that feeling. Now he just felt guilty about feeling it.

-xXx-

Sasuke messaged Naruto when he finished his last class and told him to meet up in the parking lot. Naruto shoved a change of clothes in his backpack and headed down to meet him.

They walked silently back to Sasuke's apartment. As Sasuke pulled out his key to unlock his door, Naruto finally noticed the bag that Sasuke had been carrying.

"What's that?"

"Dinner," Sasuke said. Naruto shrugged. For once he wasn't actually hungry. He hadn't eaten lunch either.

He was surprised when Sasuke set the bag down on the coffee table, rather than the dining room table. He walked to the kitchen and returned with two glasses.

"Sit," Sasuke said, indicating the couch. He pulled out several bottles of sake from the bag.

Naruto raised an eyebrow, but accepted the drink. It struck him that he and Sasuke had never actually gone drinking together. The closest they had been was that night at the club, but Naruto had done all his drinking before Sasuke had shown up.

"Bottoms up," Sasuke said, lifting his glass.

Naruto smirked, raising his glass and touching it to Sasuke's. "Kanpai," he responded.

They drank in silence for a while. Sasuke knew that Naruto had always yearned for a family, a sense of belonging that went beyond casual friendships or even most dating relationships. Sasuke and Itachi had been the closest thing that Naruto had ever had to achieving that. But to hear that he had come so close to having a brother, someone else that could have been there for him in his childhood, was like fate rubbing salt in an old, unhealed wound.

Naruto shuddered after finishing a glass. He had consumed far more than Sasuke, but didn't seem overly drunk. Sasuke figured that with the amount of drinking Naruto had done over the past two years his tolerance had grown significantly. Sasuke hadn't even tried to keep up, but his head was already spinning.

"I have no idea what to say to Nagato," Naruto said finally. "I mean... he mentioned at one point that he didn't want me to live in the dorms, because it felt like finally having a family when I was living with him."

Naruto stared down at his empty glass, running his finger around the rim repetitively.

"I guess now I know why he was thinking that. It's the way it should have been. Like you and Itachi. I almost had that. Just a few more months. If my dad had lived a few more fucking _months_."

Sasuke sat with Naruto in companionable silence. He knew that what Naruto needed most right now was someone to listen to him, someone to be there and let him work through his tangled thoughts.

"I guess... I should tell him that I know about him and my father. And won't that be an awkward conversation. 'Yeah, you know the worst two experiences in your life that you still have nightmares about? Jiraya told me all about it, so I know. Wanna be bros now? I know it's like twenty years too late, but what the hell.'"

Sasuke blew out a short laugh. "Is that what you want? To try to be like a brother to him now?"

Naruto shrugged, pouring himself more sake. "I don't know. We have a lot in common. And... we both got damaged by the same event. We are siblings in a way, I guess."

Naruto looked up from his glass. "He was the one who blocked your phone, you know."

Sasuke finished his drink, not trusting himself to say anything about that. It's hard to be really mad at someone you just found out had as much crap happen to them as Nagato had. "That's messed up. Even for a brother to do," Sasuke said eventually.

Naruto laughed. It had a drunken ring even to his own ears. "I dunno. Itachi has a pretty hands-on approach to interfering in your life."

"Yeah. But he didn't try to get between us. If anything, he was trying to help me figure things out with you."

Naruto blushed. He hadn't forgotten the fact that Itachi had packed the lube. "Yeah. But he knew me. Nagato doesn't really know you. He only saw the damage, not the good parts."

"Maybe he was jealous because he wanted you to be his family, but you had become my family instead. You found where you belong, and it was with me. We both... found it."

Sasuke never talked about emotional things. His unguarded words washed through Naruto. He looked up, his eyes locking on Sasuke's. The depth of emotion that he saw in the black eyes pulled at him, soothing away some of the sharper edges of the emotional upheaval he was feeling. Suddenly, more than anything else, Naruto needed to feel that connection. Something that was solid and real and not tainted with ghosts of the past.

"Yeah?" Naruto asked, his voice going husky.

"Yeah," Sasuke said, leaning in and pulling Naruto's mouth to his. The kiss started out slow and deep, sake-soaked tongues stroking each other and pulling together. But the heat built rapidly, and soon fumbling hands were wrenching apart buttons and zippers.

They went from slow and deep to hot and pounding in no time flat.

Some time later, they found themselves naked on the floor next to the sofa. Their bodies beginning to cool, their emotions still swirling.

Naruto rolled his head to the side, squinting as the room continued to move long after his head had stopped. He sighed, running his hand up and down along Sasuke's pale back. "You know..." he began.

Sasuke looked hazily over at him. "Hn?"

"I wonder if we would have still been friends if my parents had adopted Nagato before they died."

Sasuke slowly leaned over, then shoved Naruto on the shoulder. "Idiot. Of course we would have."

"But Nagato would have been an adult way before we met. I wouldn't have been in foster care after I turned five. He had moved to Suna before I ever went to school."

"Doesn't matter," Sasuke said, his words slurring and his eyes drifting closed. "Would have found you anywhere."

Naruto grinned down at his boyfriend, who was completely dead to the world, sprawled naked on the floor. "Lightweight," Naruto said, running his fingers gently through the soft black hair. "I would have found you, too."

Naruto walked to Sasuke's bedroom and grabbed some pillows and a blanket for them, then came back and lay down next to his naked lover and slept.

-xXx-

Naruto woke feeling stiff from spending a night on the floor. He felt the solid warmth beside him and rolled over to bury his nose in Sasuke's neck, breathing in the scent of him as he let the morning slowly wake him. He stomach was sore and unhappy, having skipped both lunch and dinner and pouring copious amounts of alcohol into his system. After several minutes, he carefully extracted himself from their makeshift bed and made his way to the kitchen, completely comfortable in his nudity.

He set some rice porridge cooking, figuring that Sasuke would probably want something when he woke as well. Sasuke had clearly drunk way more last night than he had the night at the club, and Naruto knew that Sasuke wasn't used to drinking and would likely be in rough shape. He thought about showering, but decided he'd rather wait for Sasuke, so he just pulled his boxers on from the day before.

A soft groan alerted him to Sasuke's waking, and he turned off the heat on the stove and walked over to the living room. He slid back under the blanket and wrapped his arms around Sasuke's waist, pulling him close.

"Mpf, Dobe. When did you get up?" Sasuke's voice was low and rough with sleep.

"Mmmm," Naruto said against the pale throat. "Maybe half an hour ago. I made some porridge. How's your stomach?"

Sasuke grimaced at the mention of stomachs. "How is it that you drank more than twice what I did last night, and you're fine this morning?"

Naruto chuckled softly at the crankiness in Sasuke's voice. "Well, I have spent the last couple of years being a bit of an idiot, so I suppose I have more tolerance. Though you'll be catching up soon, once you start getting more involved with your business."

Sasuke groaned softly. Japanese businessmen drank like fish when it came to dinner meetings over major deals. They both had seen Itachi stumbling home when he had first taken over the business. He had gotten his legs under him soon enough, but the first several meetings had been rough. Sasuke had forgotten about that. It was not something he was looking forward to. His only solace was that at least his boyfriend appeared to know how to properly care for a hangover, judging from the gentle smell of cooking rice coming from the kitchen.

"Are you going to feed me, then?" Sasuke asked with a smirk.

Naruto snorted. "Not likely. But I suppose I can bring you breakfast in bed if you promise to make it up to me later."

"Hmmm," Sasuke said, sliding his fingers up Naruto's thighs and under the fabric of his boxers. "I think that can definitely be arranged."

Naruto sucked a breath through his teeth as one of Sasuke's hands reached its destination in between Naruto's legs.

"Unless you are up for that right now, I should probably go and get your breakfast."

Sasuke considered his head and stomach, then reluctantly withdrew his hands from Naruto's boxers. "God, I hate sake."

Naruto placed a kiss on Sasuke's brow, trying to hide his laughter at Sasuke's hung over state.

-xXx-

Sasuke had fallen behind over the weekend as he had put his studies on hold to spend time with Naruto. He understood that Naruto, being who he was, was going to try to make things right for Nagato.

But that didn't mean that Sasuke didn't still have reservations about the older man. He wasn't going to tell Naruto how to handle the situation at this point, but he decided he needed to find out more about the man's past. After Naruto had left for class on Monday, Sasuke put in a call to Itachi.

"Nii-san."

" _Otouto. How are classes_?"

"Fine... I'm still on track to graduate this year."

" _I expected as much. But somehow I doubt that is the reason you're calling. Is everything ok?"_

"I... am not sure." Sasuke succinctly told Itachi about what Jiraya had revealed about Nagato's history with Minato, and the fact that Naruto was going to try to talk to Nagato about it this weekend.

Itachi was silent for a moment, as he thought about it. " _How is Naruto handling it?"_

"About as expected. He was surprised, and of course it brought everything back. Everything he could have had, but didn't."

Itachi and Sasuke both paused, not wanting to revisit similar emotions themselves.

" _But you have concerns that go beyond just Naruto's emotional health._ "

"I just think that the degree of Nagato's fixation on Naruto is still strange, even with all this. Jiraya mentioned that the man had some mental issues as a child. But I wonder if he is really over it. Jiraya didn't know Nagato particularly well... I don't know if he knows the whole story with Nagato. The guy makes me nervous."

 _"Does he make you nervous, or does he make you jealous?_ "

Sasuke frowned. "I don't think Naruto likes Nagato romantically, if that's what you're asking me."

" _No, Otouto. That's not what I'm asking you. Nagato wants Naruto as his family. So do you. They don't have to be mutually exclusive goals. And I am asking if you understand that._ "

"Of course I do," Sasuke said, though honestly he wasn't so sure.

The skeptical silence on the other end of the phone indicated that Itachi also had his doubts.

" _You want me to see what I can find out about Nagato's medical history?"_

"And anything else you can about his relationship with Minato. I just... feel like there is something wrong."

Itachi took that seriously. Sasuke wasn't someone who usually over-reacted to things, or looked for drama where there was none.

" _I'll do my best. I have a few friends who are good at looking into things. I'll let you know if I come up with anything that you should worry about. Medical records might take a while to find, since we have no idea where Nagato might have gone for treatment. If he even sought treatment. Mental issues often go untreated, and he had no family looking after him who would force the issue."_

"I know. Just.. let me know if you find anything," Sasuke said.

-xXx-

After spending Thursday fighting with Sasuke, and Friday and most of the weekend freaking out about what he had learned about Nagato and what he was going to do about it, Naruto found himself behind on two major writing projects that were due at the end of the week. He tried plowing through them, but his mind was so unfocused that it took him almost twice as long as usual to complete the work.

He had decided to wait to talk to Nagato until the weekend, giving himself time to process how he felt about it and what sort of relationship he wanted with the older man. He still hadn't really come up with a good way to broach the subject, but as usual decided he would just dive right in when he saw him and hope for the best.

By the time Friday came around, Naruto was exhausted and stressed, but he had gotten his projects done on time. He had called Nagato and asked if they could meet up. Nagato had said he was going to be on campus Friday anyway, and would pick Naruto up after the boy's last class.

-xXx-

Gaara was sitting in his room listening to music that evening when his phone rang. Looking over, he saw it was Naruto. Naruto had told Gaara about the situation with Nagato earlier that week. Gaara had mixed feelings about it. Jiraya had seemed worried, and that worried Gaara. He knew that Jiraya had been at best a cavalier guardian to Naruto while he was growing up. If something had that man feeling unsettled, Gaara took that seriously. He had asked Naruto to call him and let him know how things went.

" _Hey, Gaara_ ," Naruto said, fighting back a yawn. " _Nagato and I are going to go grab some dinner, then he's going to drop me back at the dorms. I should be back in an hour or two. Do you want to go down to the track tomorrow morning to blow off some steam?_ "

"Sure. Kankuro said there are some guys from Los Angeles there scouting for talent this week, so it might be a little crowded later in the day. Morning should be fine, though. Will you be up for it?"

" _Yeah. I'm not going to stay out late. I'm fucking exhausted. I'll be lucky if I don't fall asleep at dinner_."

"Did you already talk to Nagato?"

_"Yeah. It was good. It's tough, but I think we're going to figure things out. He said he was going to show me some stuff at dinner, then take me home. I think he has some old photos or something."_

"Ok. I'll see you in a bit," Gaara said. Given he didn't sleep much, he knew he'd be awake regardless of what time Naruto came home.

" _Later_."

-xXx-

Sasuke woke to the sound of his phone ringing. He reached over and grabbed it off his night stand.

"What?"

" _Sasuke, is Naruto with you_?"

"Gaara? What time is it?"

" _It's one in the morning. Is Naruto with you_?"

"No. He knows I have to be up early tomorrow, and he was going to go have his chat with Nagato tonight. He said he'd catch me up tomorrow. Why?"

" _He called me about five hours ago and said he'd be home in an hour or two. He was going to go out to dinner with Nagato. We were supposed to go to the race track early tomorrow morning, and he said he'd be back early. I tried his cell, but no one picks up."_

Sasuke felt a cold feeling settle in his stomach, and sweat broke out on the palms of his hands. "Did he say whether he had talked to Nagato? Did they argue about it?"

" _He said they'd talked but everything was fine, that they were going to work through things together."_

Sasuke sat there for a second. Something felt really wrong with this. "Fuck," he said succinctly. "Do you know Nagato's phone number?

" _No... I've never called him. But I have his address."_

"Ok. Meet me there. I'm leaving in three minutes," Sasuke said, already pulling on his jeans and looking for a shirt.

In less than fifteen minutes, Sasuke was pulling his car into the gated driveway of Nagato's house. Gaara was already waiting.

"The house looks dark," Gaara said.

Sasuke walked up and rung the bell. After a few minutes, a light went on. They could hear feet making stumbling progress to the door, and it finally swung open to reveal a man that Sasuke had never seen.

"Zetsu," Gaara said. "Where's Naruto?"

"Wuh?" The man said, his eyes glassy with more than just sleep.

"Naruto," Sasuke said succinctly. "Where is he?"

"Mmm... left with Nagato I think. They're not back yet?"

"Let's check," Sasuke said, stepping into the house before Zetsu had a chance to think about it.

"You can look in the garage to see if his car's back," Zetsu offered, motioning to the other side of the house where presumably there was a door that led to the garage. I think he took the BMW."

Gaara headed off in the direction Zetsu had pointed. Sasuke figured it didn't take two people to check the car. "Where is Naruto's room?"

"He usually stays upstairs, sixth room on the left," Zetsu said. "If you guys don't need me for anything else, I'm going to go into the kitchen. I'm feeling hungry."

Sasuke rolled his eyes at the stoner's munchies and went upstairs. He didn't know why he felt so panicked but Gaara looked equally on edge. At least he wasn't alone in his anxiety.

The guest room that Naruto used to use was empty, the bed neat and clearly untouched. Sasuke turned to see Gaara standing behind him.

"Car's not back," Gaara said. They looked at each other for a minute, not sure what to do.

"Zetsu is stoned off his ass. Let's check the other rooms and see if there is someone else in this house who might know where they went," Sasuke said.

They went down the hall, knocking on doors and opening them when they received no answer. Gaara took the doors on the right, and Sasuke took the doors on the left. At the end of the hall they knocked on the last door in the wing. Sasuke tried the door, but it was locked.

Gaara reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small cloth case. He extracted two thin metal tools, and knelt down in front of the lock. Within thirty seconds, the latch clicked open.

Sasuke quirked a brow in question.

"All my father's best secrets are locked in dark closets. I learned to open them early."

Not knowing quite what to say about that, Sasuke simply pushed open the door. And froze.

It was clearly Nagato's room. And it was also clear why the door was kept locked.

Every surface of every wall was covered with photos, letters, and news clippings. Of Naruto, and a man that looked very much like him. Sasuke recognized him from the few photos that Naruto had of his parents. It was definitely Minato.

"Oh, _shit_ ," Gaara said, slowly walking around the room, his usually expressionless face mirroring the shock and fear that Sasuke imagined was on his own.

Looking closely at the room, each wall appeared to have its own theme. The first wall immediately to the left of the door seemed to focus on Minato. There were the news clippings of the fire, describing how Minato had miraculously saved Nagato despite being ordered to not enter the burning building. There weren't many photos outside of what had been cut from periodicals. Other stories of Minato's bravery. Then his death and funeral.

There were letters from Minato to Nagato, encouraging him and reassuring him that the fire wasn't his fault and that everything would be ok. Then later ones saying that Minato wanted to adopt him, but he was having trouble because of his age. Again reassuring Nagato that things would be ok and Minato would take care of him.

A copy of the application for Minato to adopt Nagato. Minato's death certificate and a copy of the medical examiner's report on his death. A few letters from Kushina, apologizing that she was too sick to come visit Nagato but that she was going to take up the application to adopt him as soon as she was better. Then her obituary in the paper. Sasuke noticed that it didn't say what she died of in the obituary, and that she hadn't mentioned her pregnancy in the letters. Nagato likely didn't know at the time that she had been pregnant. But his focus had clearly been on Minato, and he evidently hadn't followed up after Kushina's death to uncover the reason for it.

The next wall was covered with photos and news clippings of Naruto, as well as pieces of Naruto's writing, and some of Nagato's own. What made Sasuke's blood run cold was that these photos started off when Naruto was still in Konoha High. And they were taken in Konoha.

Some of the photos on this wall showed Naruto and Sasuke together. Naruto's arm thrown around Sasuke, laughter in his blue eyes while Sasuke pretended to look annoyed. Others showed Sasuke with Sakura, sometimes with Naruto off to the side, looking at them with a longing expression. There were a lot of photos like that, capturing moments that Sasuke had never seen. Sasuke walking ahead of Naruto, and Naruto looking at him hungrily. Sasuke kissing Sakura, Naruto turning away looking ill. And the writings were from Naruto's journal, not the published songs. They were much darker than what the boy had chosen to share with the public, and it ripped at Sasuke's conscience to read how anguished and lonely Naruto had been when their friendship had started to fall apart.

The photos transitioned to some taken at college, before Naruto had transferred to Suna. Sasuke smirking at some girl, Naruto watching from off to the side. Naruto sitting alone, looking lost. Naruto at parties getting hammered. There were a few of Naruto with Sora that Sasuke wanted to rip off the wall and tear into tiny bits.

The final wall showed Naruto at Suna. Yahiko made some appearances here, which caused Sasuke's fist to clench. There were more with Sasuke and Naruto again. This time, the photos were happier, with both of them looking at each other openly. Some from that first night at the club that Sasuke told himself he was going to have to go and beat the shit out of Sai for. In fact he made a mental note to get a restraining order put on the man as soon as possible.

But he was shocked to see what the most recent set of photos were about. The final set of photos was just of Sasuke. At his office. There were photos of Suigetsu looking at Sasuke's ass as he was walking past. But most were of Karin and Sasuke. It was true that Karin constantly flirted with Sasuke, but these photos seemed to imply that something way more than flirting was going on. It showed her with her hand on his cheek (he had immediately wrenched it off, but there was no photo of that), of her bending over in his face so he could look down her shirt (which he had absolutely no interest in doing). There were dozens of them.

And more of Naruto studying alone or sitting alone outside at night.

"Wow. No wonder Nagato hates you. Looking at these photos, you'd think you were ruining Naruto's life," Gaara said, sounding a little shocked. "These are all Sai's photos. You can tell by the angles."

Sasuke took a shaking breath. This was so fucked up. "It isn't what it looks like in these last ones," Sasuke said. He generally didn't care what people thought of him. But Gaara mattered to Naruto. And if Sasuke were honest, he respected Gaara a bit as well.

"I know. I've been around you long enough to be able to read your expressions. You have zero interest in either of these people. Just compare your face here to the ones where you are with Naruto. If Nagato showed these to Naruto, Naruto would realize it as well. But someone like Sai, who has trouble reading even the most obvious of emotions... he wouldn't understand. This is how he sees you. And likely how Nagato does as well, since he looks through Sai's eyes."

At least Sasuke now understood a little why Nagato had blocked his number. Not that he wasn't still pissed about it.

"Fuck. Where they hell did they go? And why didn't Naruto call one of us to tell us he was going somewhere?"

Just then, Zetsu stumbled into the room. "Hey, no one's allowed to be in here - holy _shit_!" the green-haired man said, finally looking around the room, his eyes growing wider and wider as he took in the photos. "Damn. I knew he had a thing for blondie, but this is..."

"Crazy?" Sasuke asked sarcastically.

Zetsu could only manage to shake his head as he took the same tour around the room that Gaara and Sasuke had just finished. He got to the end and looked over at Sasuke, his eyes narrowing. "You're kind of an ass, did you know that?"

Sasuke ignored Gaara's snicker, and pulled out his phone. Despite the hour, he had to know if Itachi had managed to find anything out.

"Itach', sorry for calling so late," Sasuke began.

" _It's alright, little brother. Actually, I was going to call you first thing in the morning. This is better."_

 _"_ Did you find something out about Nagato?"

_"Yes. But you are not going to like it. You should tell Naruto not to confront Nagato about this alone. You said he was going to do it this weekend, right?"_

Sasuke felt his stomach clench. "Too late. He went tonight to talk to him. But he didn't come back home. Now they're both missing."

-xXx-

_to be continued..._

so... Nagato is not evil, and he is not trying to get into Naruto's pants. But he is very, very ill. This is my version of canon Nagato, whom I love even though he briefly killed Kakashi.


	18. Found

**Author's note:** So I have changed my mind on how to end this story. There was going to be a break-up/make-up arc at the end, but after writing this chapter I realized it just won't work. If they break up over something stupid after this, then they don't deserve to be together. If they break up over something serious, then that will be a sequel and not in this fic because it will just take too long to bring resolution. So the next chapter will be the end of Nice Guys. I know they are still young and a bit stupid, so we can't quite say 'happily ever after', but it will be the end of their story for now.

-xXx-

Naruto lifted his hand in greeting when he saw Nagato walking toward his dorm.

"I got your text that you were finished. I was just on my way over to the library to meet you," Naruto said. He was nervous, and wanted to get the situation out in the open. He felt guilty knowing such a private thing about someone and keeping it secret. He also felt a little uncertain about where this conversation might land them, but waiting was only making his anxiety worse.

Nagato smiled as they got in Nagato's car. "You look tired and stressed. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah," Naruto said, fidgeting a bit, knowing he looked like hell due to lack of sleep. "I had a long week with classes and projects due, and last weekend wasn't exactly restful."

Nagato frowned. "Because of Sasuke. He over-reacted on Friday night."

Naruto shrugged. "We talked it out that night. He let me explain what had happened. We're still getting used to the whole dating thing. Even though we've known each other for so long, we're still feeling our way around being boyfriends rather than best friends."

"Hmm," Nagato said noncommittally, clearly not feeling better about the situation. "I just don't think he's good for you. Whenever you're around him, you just seem to get hurt."

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I guess it would seem that way based on just the last two years. But Sasuke was my friend at a time when I had no one else. Growing up, he was the only one who actually seemed to care what happened to me. He helped me a lot... encouraged me. Stood up for me when I was too scrawny and insecure to do it for myself. We might have hit a pretty rough patch recently, but its minor compared to the history we have together."

"I just think you should be more careful around him. He really hurt you before. Don't leave yourself so open for him to just do it again."

Naruto drew a breath. "Nagato... even though I know you're wrong about Sasuke, I really appreciate that you want to look out for me. And... I think I understand a bit more why you do."

Nagato didn't say anything, keeping his eyes on the road as he drove.

"I talked to Jiraya."

Nagato glanced over at him, his hands clenching on the wheel.

"And what did he tell you?"

They were approaching Nagato's home. Naruto wanted to have this conversation in private, and Nagato almost always had house guests. So he pushed ahead.

"He told me about my dad... that you knew him. About the fire," Naruto saw Nagato's face whiten in remembered pain. "Nagato, I'm so sorry," Naruto said softly.

Nagato was silent for a while. "I should have told you. But..."

"... but it's hard to bring something like that up in conversation to a stranger," Naruto finished for him, completely understanding.

Nagato laughed. "Yeah. I mean, you and I were almost brothers. But the reality is that I didn't even know you existed until I saw your photo on Jiraya's desk three years ago. At first I thought you were Minato. You look so much like him," Nagato's voice had dropped to almost an almost reverent whisper, and Naruto felt a flash of unease.

Nagato cleared his throat. "But there were differences, of course, and I realized almost immediately that you couldn't be him. Jiraya told me that Minato had had a son, and that he hadn't even known about you before he died. I wanted to go find you, to talk to you, but... what would I say? I'm a complete stranger, like you said. You'd never even met Minato, so it's not like we could trade stories or experiences or anything."

Naruto ignored the small pang of the truth of that statement. Nagato was right. He had nothing from his father. Not even the knowledge of whether or not his father would have been happy to learn about his existence.

Nagato paused as they drove in the gate to his home. He pulled the car into the garage and turned off the engine, but made no move to get out. Neither did Naruto. They both knew this conversation was private... not something they wanted to have in front of Hidan or Zetsu or whoever else might be in the house.

"And then a year later, I saw you in that writers workshop. I couldn't believe it. You weren't in my session, but I knew who you were as soon as I saw you. I talked to the proctor who had run your group, and he showed me the piece you had written. It was so lonely, and full of anguish. So much like what I had felt. I was hoping you would go to Suna for college, and then I could get to know you. But I found out that you didn't. You had followed your friend to some school across the country." Nagato didn't hide his disdain for that fact.

Naruto shifted, his mind processing what Nagato had left unsaid. "So... you went there to meet me? You weren't doing a research project, were you."

There was a slight pause. Nagato drew a breath, clearly bracing himself for what he was about to say.

"No. Naruto, I'm sorry. I know it seems really strange and I wanted to tell you but... you were the closest thing I had to the family I had lost. If it weren't for Yahiko, I would have lost it a long time ago. But seeing you was like looking back in time, like being given a second chance to have the family I had lost."

"I'm not him, you know. I mean... I get that we look alike. But you know I'm _not_ him, right?"

Nagato chuckled. "You think I'm crazy. I guess I don't blame you. But yes, Naruto, I know you are not Minato. You are more like him than you realize, though. It isn't just your looks."

Jiraya hadn't talked much about his father or his mother. Naruto didn't have a strong emotional tie to the man who had sired him then died without ever even knowing of his existence. But he did have curiosity. "Really? I don't know much about him. Jiraya didn't think it was good to dwell on the past. And... I mean... who knows if he even would have wanted me. I was definitely not planned."

Nagato looked at Naruto intently. "He would have wanted you, Naruto. You would have been _everything_ to him. Minato wanted children. He was so caring and protective. So kind and full of life."

Naruto knew he was seeing his father through the eyes of the child he had saved, but somehow he still felt a swell of pride inside at the man who would have been his father.

"I wish you could have known him. You _should_ have had the chance," Nagato's voice sounded angry. Naruto understood that anger. He had felt the impotent rage against fate enough in his childhood to know it's sound and taste from others.

Nagato swallowed, clearly struggling to control his emotions. "I have to go in and get changed. Then let me take you out to dinner. I don't want to continue this with Zetsu and whoever else decided to crash here tonight. And... there is something I want to show you. Some photos I think you need to see. Then," Nagato's voice softened. "Then I'll take you home. You don't have classes or projects you need to work on this weekend, right?"

"Nah. I finished my projects yesterday. This weekend I'm just going to catch up on sleep." Naruto said, his mind still focused on the mention of photos. He had seen very few photos of either of his parents. Jiraya wasn't a sentimental man, and hadn't kept many pictures. The young couple had been active and busy with their lives, and with no wedding and no small children yet, they hadn't felt the pressures to take pictures of themselves much. After all, it wasn't like they had any family to send them to.

Naruto followed Nagato into the house and went into the kitchen to get some juice while the older man went up to change. Zetsu was sitting in the living room, sucking on the hose of an intricately designed hookah. Judging by the size of his pupils and the heavy, sweet smell in the house, he had been at it for a while.

"Want some?" he offered hazily to Naruto.

"Nah. Nagato and I are going to grab dinner, then I'm going to go back to the dorms and crash. It's been a long fucking week."

Zetsu shrugged, taking another long hit.

Naruto called Gaara quickly just to let him know the plan, and that the conversation with Nagato had gone better than expected. It was almost... normal. Not nearly as awkward as Naruto had been expecting.

Nagato came down, and they got in the car. The drove to Nagato's favorite restaurant, a Lebanese place called Layla's Falafel. It was a bit of a hole-in-the-wall place, but it had really good food.

And privacy.

After placing their orders, Nagato pulled out a pack of photos and handed it to Naruto. Naruto's excitement at the prospect of seeing pictures of his parents faded as he took in the subject of the photos.

"These are of Sasuke," Naruto said, frowning as he flipped through them. Sasuke at his office, with a redheaded girl and a platinum-haired man.

"I'm sorry, Naruto. After what happened at the bar on Friday, I had Sai follow Sasuke. I didn't want you to be hurt again. You had to know," Nagato looked honestly upset and concerned for Naruto.

Naruto set the photos down and shook his head slowly. "Nagato... you have to understand. These photos are not photos of Sasuke cheating on me. He just... people throw themselves at him. They always have. It doesn't mean he reciprocates it."

Nagato's face looked concerned. "Naruto, you're too innocent. Honestly, what kind of person would allow someone to continue to work for them if these advances were truly unwelcome? Look at the pictures. She is touching him. Kissing him. Leering at him. He is her boss. If he didn't like it, he should fire her."

A small part of Naruto agreed with that, and he would definitely talk to Sasuke about it. But he knew absolutely by looking at those photos that Sasuke was _not_ interested in either the man or the woman in these photos. "Look, Nagato. I agree that Sasuke needs to take a stronger stand with them about this. But honestly, I went to school with the guy since we were twelve. And unless he is literally not going to hire _any_ women in his office, and no homosexual men, then he is always going to have this problem. But I know that he wouldn't cheat on me. If he finds someone else he likes better, he'll just tell me to shove off and he'll go be with them. Sasuke has way too much pride to cheat. I'm not painting him out to be all roses and romance, but I know where his boundaries are. He's just so desensitized to sexual advances from random people that he hardly notices it anymore."

Nagato didn't look convinced, but he let the matter drop. Naruto, however, still had more to say.

"Nagato... you know it's weird that you have Sai stalking my boyfriend, right? I mean... you can't _do_ shit like that. It's kind of creepy."

Nagato blushed, and looked embarrassed. "I know. I guess. It's just I knew that you have been so obsessed with Sasuke for so long that you wouldn't just take my word for it. And Sai is really good at what he does. He is able to really show the nature of the feelings of the people involved. Its how I knew about your feelings for Sasuke, and that he had hurt you so badly in the first place. It's why I blocked his number, and tried to keep him away from you. I know what he has done to you, what he has put you through. You don't deserve that, Naruto. Minato might not be here to protect you from people like him, but I am. I can finally do something in return for him. I can be the big brother I was supposed to have been."

Naruto didn't know what to say. Part of him was a little freaked out by the intensity of the emotion coming from the older man. But part of him... part of him wanted it. Part of him _wanted_ there to be someone in this world who looked out for him and wanted to take care for him in the way that Nagato was describing. Just without all the creepy stalking parts.

"Nagato..." Naruto began, trying to find the right words to say what he felt. "When I think that you could have been my brother growing up, that instead of being alone and feeling tied to nothing, I could have had you as my family...," Naruto had to clear his throat. "... when I think of all I missed out on, I want to scream and throw chairs through windows that it didn't happen that way. For the both of us."

Nagato's face twisted in sympathetic anguish. Naruto reached across the table and grabbed one of Nagato's fisted hands.

"I have gotten to know you a bit over the past two years," Naruto continued. "And I honestly like you, and feel like we have already formed a bond. Finding out that you knew my father, that he had wanted to make you his son, only makes me feel even more tied to you. I know we are already both adults, but I... I still want a brother."

Naruto took a breath even as Nagato's face lit up. "But Nagato... you have to stop having Sai follow me around. You have to stop doing things like blocking phone numbers from my phone, or interfering with my friends. That goes too far, even for a brother. I'm not a child anymore, and I'm not my father. We have to be able to find a normal, middle ground. We can talk, do things together. You can tell me when I'm being an idiot, and I can tell you when you're being over-protective. But this," Naruto flicked the photos with his fingers, "this kind of stuff crosses a line. If I need help and ask you or Sai to check someone out for me, then that's one thing. But you can't go behind my back and do shit."

Nagato sat there, looking at Naruto. He clearly wanted to say the right thing back, but either wasn't sure what that was, or wasn't sure it would be the truth.

Naruto thought back to the video. He hadn't watched it more than once, due to the sheer embarrassment of watching himself in it. But some of the photos now triggered something in his mind.

"You had Sai follow me back in high school, didn't you? After you found out about me.  Some of the photos from the video. They were not taken in Suna. They were taken in Konoha."

Nagato didn't look embarrassed or uncomfortable. "I just wanted to see what your life was like. I didn't want to force myself into it if you were happy. But I needed to know about you. The photos seemed a non-intrusive way of doing that. Getting to know you from a distance, I guess."

"Ok, that's... kind of stalking. But I understand I guess how it would be weird to try to just introduce yourself given that what connected us was my dead father who never even knew I existed. But Nagato, now I am in your life for real. You don't need to use the photos anymore. If you want to know what is happening in my life, just ask me. Don't have Sai go out and photograph it for you."

"Ok," Nagato said, looking slightly awkward. "I didn't mean to upset you. I just... it was so hard to lose him. To lose all of them. And you were my one tie back. I just wanted to... to see you. To know that somehow a piece of him was still in this world. It made me feel... better."

"So can I have your promise that you won't have anyone follow or photograph me again?"

Nagato nodded. "I guess you're right. I don't need the pictures now to know you're ok. I can just call you. Or take you out to dinner."

Naruto felt a bit of the tension he had been feeling drain out.

"Would it... bother you to talk about him?" Nagato asked. "Now that you know, there are so many stories about your dad that I always wanted to tell you. It bothered me that you never knew him. You'd have gotten along so well, you know?"

Naruto laughed a little. "Yeah, I'd like t hat. Jiraya never really talked much about him or my mom to me. Just the basics."

"Did you ever... visit their graves?"

Naruto nodded. "Jiraya took me there once. But it was just... a grave. I had no real idea of the people who were buried there, you know? Just that they were my biological parents. But I didn't feel any sort of connection. Jiraya took me there just so I would know where it was, I guess. He's not particularly religious, so we just looked at it for a few minutes, then left."

"Yeah, I figured as much," Nagato said.

"Maybe... maybe we could go together some time," Naruto said, seeing the sadness in the older man's eyes.

Nagato smiled slightly. "Are you finished eating?"

"Yeah. I'm stuffed. Thanks for dinner."

The restaurant was on the opposite side of town from campus, so Naruto knew it would be a long ride back to his dorm. The stress of the week coupled with the emotional intensity of the dinner conversation had left Naruto drained. The swaying motion of the car and the flicker of the streetlights as they drove past soon lulled Naruto to sleep.

Nagato looked over at the boy sleeping peacefully in the passenger seat, a look of contentment on the older man's face. He veered onto the highway, heading out of the city.

A few hours later, Naruto's cell phone started to ring. The boy didn't stir. Naruto needed his sleep. They'd be in Konoha by dawn.

-xXx-

 _"_ Did you find something out about Nagato?" Sasuke asked, holding the phone tightly.

 _"Yes. But you are not going to like it. You should tell Naruto not to confront Nagato about this alone. You said he was going to do it this weekend, right?"_ Itachi responded.

Sasuke felt his stomach clench. "Too late. He went tonight to talk to him. But he didn't come back home. Now they're both missing."

" _Shit,"_ Itachi said succinctly. " _Tell me what happened."_

Sasuke quickly replayed everything they knew up to this point. "What did you find out about Nagato?" He put his phone on speaker so Gaara could hear as well.

" _He was institutionalized, like you said, at the age of 10 and again at 13 after Minato's death. I was able to... view... some of the records from the second facility. Evidently Nagato tried to steal Minato's body from the morgue, convinced he would be ok. After he was buried, Nagato kept running away and sleeping over his grave. The psychologist said that he was displacing all his emotional loss from his parents' deaths onto Minato, so it was as though Minato had become his entire family. They found newspaper clippings and letters that he had saved, and he broke into the police department's record archive to steal a copy of the medical report from Minato's death. He was deemed extremely unstable, but the orphanage didn't have the money to continue his treatment. His file was categorized as high risk, but more to himself than to anyone else._ "

Sasuke tried to fight down his sense of panic. It wouldn't be helpful.

Gaara spoke slowly, as if trying to feel his way around an idea that was forming. "Itachi, based on what you read in Nagato's file, what do you think he would consider 'home'?"

"That's right," Sasuke said, quickly following Gaara's line of thought. "Naruto said Nagato would bring him 'home' after dinner. Not 'back to the dorms'."

There was a short pause as all three men thought about that statement.

" _I think I know where he's going,"_ Itachi said, his fingers already typing in to check flight schedules. " _The next flight to Konoha doesn't leave Suna until 8am. If you want, I can buy you two tickets and have you here by noon."_

"No. We'll get there sooner than that," Gaara said, turning to Sasuke. "I hope you aren't as afraid of motorcycles as Naruto said. We're going to get to Konoha before that flight even takes off."

Sasuke paled slightly as Gaara stalked over to his bike and pulled the spare helmet out of the holder in the back. He thrust it wordlessly into Sasuke's hands. Sasuke just pulled the helmet on and swung a leg over to sit behind him. Neither of them noticed Zetsu standing looking shocked in the doorway.

When they hit the highway and Gaara released the throttle, Sasuke began to pray. He didn't know if he was more fearful for Naruto's life or his own.

-xXx-

Naruto woke up, feeling stiff and slightly disoriented. He realized he was in the passenger seat of a car. He glanced over, and saw Nagato asleep on the driver's side. They were parked in a parking lot. Naruto looked around him, not able to see much in the pre-dawn light, but didn't recognize the location. It wasn't the dorms. And judging by the amount of foliage he was able to make out, they weren't in Suna.

"Nagato," Naruto's voice was rough with sleep. He reached a hand over and pushed the shoulder of the older man. "Nagato, wake up. Where the fuck are we?"

Nagato stirred, then stretched. "We're back home," he said simply.

"Home? What are you talking about?"

"Konoha," Nagato said. Dawn was just breaking. Naruto got out of the car, and was surprised (and just a little freaked out) to find that they were at the Konoha cemetery.

"Um... Nagato? What the hell is going on?" Naruto was trying really hard not to panic. He was digging in his pocket for his cell phone, about to call 911.

"You said... that it would be good to visit his grave together. It's the weekend, so I thought..."

Nagato drifted off, looking towards a section in the graveyard that was off to one side. Naruto didn't remember the location, but he was sure that was his father's grave. He kept his hand closed around his cell, just in case. But he walked towards the older man, and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Ok, then. Let's go see him together," Naruto said softly. "But hey, Nagato?"

The older man turned his head towards him. "Next time, you have to ask me before you take me somewhere, ok? My roommate is probably razing Suna to the ground looking for me because I didn't come home. When we get back...," Naruto hesitated, not really sure how to say this. "When we get back, I want you to see a doctor. I'll go with you. I think... I think you still need some help dealing with all the shit that happened when you were little. I'll be with you. I'll help you. But we need someone who has experience with this kind of thing, ok?"

Nagato's expression looked almost child-like. "Can we go see him first, though? Together?"

Naruto felt his heart break just a little, and he had to swallow hard to get the words out. "Yeah. We'll go see him. Let me call Gaara first, so he knows I'm ok."

Just then a figure appeared, walking towards them from the cemetery. He was cloaked in black, eyes fixed on them. Naruto _did not_ shriek. But he might have made some sort of noise.

"Naruto," the figure said. It was a voice he recognized.

_Itachi._

"Are you ok?" Itachi asked, his voice sounding very calm and soothing. Naruto realized that somehow he must know about Nagato, and that Nagato was... not quite stable.

"We're fine, Itachi. It's good to see you," _in a graveyard just before dawn when I'm already a little freaked out and you're all dressed in black like a freaking vampire._ Itachi smirked, and Naruto would not have been surprised if Sasuke's brother had managed to read his thoughts. It wouldn't be the first time.

"I was just about to call Gaara to tell him not to worry. But since you're here, I'm guessing..."

Just then a motorcycle was heard approaching. At a speed that was at least double the legal limit.

"Ah, that must be Gaara and Sasuke now," Itachi said calmly.

"Naruto? Can we go in now?" Nagato asked, as if waiting for permission. Naruto gave Itachi a beseeching look. Itachi simply nodded.

"I'll give you some privacy," Itachi said. "But don't take too long. Sasuke is likely going to be... a bit impatient."

Naruto walked into the cemetery with Nagato. The man had clearly spent a lot of time here, because even in the dim light he clearly knew where he was going. They walked to a grave with a modest marker. Nagato sat down next to the stone.

"I didn't bring any incense," he said, looking a little lost.

"It's ok," Naruto said gently, sitting down next to Nagato. "I'm sure he doesn't mind." Naruto heard the motorcycle engine shut off, and assumed that Itachi was explaining to Gaara and Sasuke that things were under control. He heard Sasuke's raised voice, but couldn't quite make out the words.

"What do you usually do when you come here?" Naruto asked, honestly curious. He'd never felt anything in this place but general gloominess. Nagato, though, clearly felt a connection. He looked sad, but happy, too.

"Sometimes I just sit and take in the quiet... knowing that at least a piece of him is here," Nagato said. "When I was younger, I'd come here a lot and talk to him. Tell him what was happening, things I was having trouble with. As I got older, I didn't need to do that as much. I had Yahiko. He helped me."

Naruto nodded. Whatever feelings he had about Yahiko, the man had definitely stood by his friend. Naruto knew enough about people to know that most would not bother to maintain a friendship with someone who had a mental illness. It was hard. And Yahiko could easily have used his fame as an excuse to drift away from Nagato. But he hadn't. Naruto smiled slightly, glad that Nagato had had at least one good friend who knew his secrets and could help him.

"I found him for you, Minato," Nagato said softly, giving Naruto a little smile. "I promise to be the brother I should have been to him. And I'll tell him about you, since he didn't get a chance to know you."

Naruto felt his eyes burn, and he swallowed hard. He didn't really know what to do. He was silent for a while, but he got the feeling that Nagato was waiting for him to do something. To say something. "Um.. Dad," he said awkwardly, never having done something like this before. But he thought about what Nagato needed to hear, what words might make him more able to face what he needed to and accept Naruto's help. "I... I'll help Nagato. Like I know you would have. And we'll come back to visit you... and mom." Naruto's mother's grave was next to his father's, equally simple. Naruto noticed with a bit of shame that neither grave was as well tended as most of the others.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. And somehow, Naruto did feel something more than just generic sadness here. Maybe it was because of Nagato sitting beside him. Or maybe there was something of a person that lingers after death. But Naruto felt strongly in that moment that he had done the right thing.

He looked up, and saw Sasuke standing a few feet away, his eyes concerned, but respectful of the place. Naruto had gone with Sasuke to visit Fugaku and Mikoto's graves. But they had never visited Naruto's parents. Naruto held his gaze for a moment, their emotions flowing between them. Sasuke would never mock someone's grief in these circumstances. He knew, perhaps better than Naruto, how Nagato felt sitting at this grave and knowing who lay beneath it.

"Hey," Sasuke said softly. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah. We're good," Naruto said. He looked at Nagato, who appeared somewhat surprised to see Sasuke here.

"Aren't you... in Suna?" Nagato seemed slightly disoriented.

Naruto could see Sasuke's temper flash at Nagato's words, and silently pleaded with him to understand. Sasuke took a deep, steadying breath. "Yes. I was in Suna. But when Gaara called and told me that Naruto hadn't come home, we got worried and came looking for him."

Nagato looked honestly surprised at that statement. "So... you care what happens to him? You came to find him?"

Naruto braced for an explosion, and was somewhat surprised instead to see understanding flash across Sasuke's face. He squatted down in front of Nagato. "Yes. I care very much what happens to Naruto. I know that you might not believe that. But Naruto is... someone I could not live without," Sasuke's words were slow and patient. Almost as if he were speaking to a child, but without being condescending.

Sasuke and Nagato held each other's gaze for a few moments. Then Nagato smiled. "I'm glad, then."

He shifted, and stood. Naruto and Sasuke followed suit. "God, I'm so exhausted," Nagato said.

Itachi and Gaara had walked up behind Sasuke, and Itachi now spoke. "Let's all go back to my house. None of us have had much sleep, and I think we could all use some food and rest. I have plenty of guest rooms there."

Nagato seemed to realize that he was the cause of so many people spending a worried, sleepless night. "Um... I'm sorry," he said, not really sure where to go with this.

Naruto put his hand on Nagato's shoulder. "Its alright," he told the man reassuringly. Then he turned to face the others. "When we get back to Suna, we're going to find someone who can help Nagato work through some things. I'm going to spend more time with him and help him through it. We agreed there would be no more photographs, surprise road trips or cell phone modifications." Nagato looked a little embarrassed but smiled a bit. And nodded. Gaara and Sasuke exchanged a glace, and Naruto was glad that they didn't reject the idea immediately.

"That sounds like a good place to start," Itachi said. He looked at his brother and was relieved to see that - rather than hostility and jealousy - Sasuke's expression was filled with wary sympathy. Of course, they would make sure that Nagato was safe for Naruto to be around. And Sasuke was probably not going to be comfortable about Naruto spending a lot of time alone with the man until he had been evaluated. But all evidence at this point indicated that Nagato was out to protect Naruto. Not harm him. And that was an emotion that Sasuke could understand very well.  And respect.

Gaara walked over to Naruto. "Don't scare me like that again. Or I'll embed a tracking device in you the next time you fall asleep in your bed."

Naruto laughed. He realized after a few seconds that Gaara was in fact not joking.

. . . . .

Sasuke insisted on riding with Nagato and Naruto as they all followed Itachi back to the house, mumbling something about preferring to ride with an actual lunatic over someone who just drives like one.

When they pulled in to the gates of the Uchiha manor, Naruto turned a surprised gaze to Sasuke. "When did Itachi move back here?"

Sasuke shrugged, realizing it was one of the many events that Naruto had missed in his life during their separation. "He moved back when I left for college."

Naruto could tell Sasuke was still not totally comfortable with the whole thing, but decided he would wait until later to talk to him about it. When they were alone.

The four men quickly ate a light breakfast, then Itachi showed everyone to guest rooms. Nagato seemed to relax when he realized that no one was angry with him, and that Naruto wasn't going to leave.

Itachi didn't bother showing Naruto to a guest room. "I'm guessing you won't be using it anyway," he said, then headed to his room to sleep. He had evidently spent the entire night in the graveyard waiting for Nagato to show up. Naruto had always known the older man had nerves of steel, but he shuddered to even think about that.

Sasuke showed Naruto to his room. It was the first time that Naruto had seen the room that Sasuke had grown up in as a child. It had obviously been redecorated for a grown man's taste, but still, it would carry memories of a past that would not return. "Are you doing ok... being back here?"

Sasuke shrugged. "I guess I got used to it living here last summer. Itachi felt like it was time to move on and reclaim our family home."

Naruto could only imagine how difficult the first few nights must have been, and he felt a wash of guilt that he hadn't been there for his friend. "Sorry," Naruto said in a low voice.

Sasuke raised his eyebrows. "For what?"

"That I wasn't there for you."

Sasuke let out a short, bitter laugh and sat down on the bed. "I think we can safely say that neither of us were 'there for' the other over the past couple of years."

Naruto looked down, not sure if Sasuke was mad, upset, tired, or some combination of all three.

"You have no idea how I felt when Gaara called me and told me you didn't come back last night," Sasuke said, his voice strange. "It was like... I remember when I was a kid, and Itachi and I were waiting for our parents to come home. And then a policeman came and knocked at the door, and said that there had been an accident. And he paused. And in that pause, I knew that something terrible had happened, but I didn't know what. That pause seemed to last hours. But then he was talking again, telling us our parents were dead."

Naruto sat quietly, letting Sasuke talk.

"When Gaara called, it felt the same as that pause. I was just waiting for news that you were dead."

"Sasuke, I'm ok," Naruto said, walking over and sitting next to his friend.

"I know. But Naruto, you didn't see Nagato's room. It's like something out of those crime shows where serial killers go around stalking their prey. It was covered with pictures of you and your dad. And a few of me."

Naruto blew out a breath. "I know. I talked to him about that. No more following me and no more photographs. He said... he just wanted to be close to me, but he didn't know how to bring up the past. It's not an easy thing to talk about. So to him, this felt like a totally normal way of getting close to me in a 'non-intrusive' manner."

Sasuke just looked at him for a second. "Ok, so you know that's totally insane, though, right? I mean... crazy people don't know they're crazy. Nagato is definitely crazy."

"Yeah, I know he has issues. He needs to go see a doctor. But he never would have hurt me. Sasuke, you should have seen him at my dad's grave. It was like he was 10 years old again. I don't think he's dangerous. He's just... broken."

Sasuke sighed. He was glad he sort of agreed with Naruto on this, because he knew that Naruto was going to try to help Nagato even if it turned out the guy _was_ dangerous.

"Ok, promise me this. I will help find a good doctor in Suna to help Nagato. But if that doctor believes that Nagato is a serious threat to you, he needs to be institutionalized, at least until he is stable."

Naruto frowned. He'd seen "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". Sasuke seemed to know immediately what Naruto was thinking about. "Stop getting your facts from movies. There are good mental institutions, especially the ones where patients admit themselves voluntarily. The worst ones are the ones associated with the prison system. If we ignore any danger signs from Nagato and he actually hurts someone, he'll get put in one of those places. We won't put him in an institution if he's not dangerous, but if he is, it's better he goes to a good one voluntarily. And you are probably the only one that he will listen to on this."

Naruto sighed. What Sasuke said made sense. He just really hoped Nagato wouldn't need to go there. All Naruto could think about was a broken child, who lost first his parents then the person who had saved him. It wasn't Nagato's fault he was like this. It wasn't fair. But Sasuke was right.

"Ok," Naruto said softly. If Nagato wasn't dangerous, Naruto was going to request special permission to move out of the dorms early and live with the man to help keep an eye on him. But he decided now was not the time to discuss that with Sasuke. "But you need to fire Karin."

Sasuke hesitated, then nodded. He was still clearly upset. Having the emotions connect back to his parents' death, then being back in this room was clearly taking its toll on his friend. Plus it looked like Sasuke hadn't slept all night. Knowing how Gaara likes to drive on his motorcycle, Naruto was a bit surprised that they had made it down in one piece. And that Gaara hadn't gone to jail for excessive speed.

Naruto leaned over and brushed his lips across Sasuke's. "Get some sleep. You look exhausted. We'll figure all of this out in the morning."

Sasuke's eyes drifted closed at the light touch. He nodded, reached up into Naruto's hair to pull their mouths together more forcefully. "I couldn't lose you," he mumbled against Naruto's lips.

"You won't," Naruto said in return, leaning over and pushing Sasuke down on the bed.

Right now, what Sasuke needed most was to feel Naruto there with him, safe and unharmed. He slid his hands up under Naruto's shirt, resting one over the strong, steady beat of his heart before pulling the shirt all the way off. Suddenly, this was taking way too much time and Sasuke's hands were frantically ripping at Naruto's jeans and his own shirt. Naruto helped and soon their naked bodies were pressed together, their heat and friction the most solid proof that they were both alive and unharmed. Sasuke buried his face in his lover's neck, needing to steady himself as his emotions spiraled in a messy tangle of past and present anguish and love. Naruto seemed to understand as he crushed their bodies together, letting Sasuke feel his strength and health.

They thrust against each other, reaching climax quickly in the intensity of their need to simply be together. Exhausted, Sasuke lay with his arms tightly wrapped around Naruto, his grip not loosening even as his mind finally gave itself over to sleep.

. . . .

Naruto lay in bed, stroking Sasuke's soft hair while he slept. Having slept almost the entire car ride to Konoha, Naruto was by far the most rested in the house at the moment. After one last admiring glance at his lover's toned, naked body, Naruto drew the sheet over him and carefully extracted himself from Sasuke's grip and got out of bed so as to not wake him.

He took a shower, then dressed and went downstairs. He selected a book from the library and was sitting in the living room reading when the doorbell rang. Naruto got up to answer it, and was surprised to see Yahiko standing there.

"Naruto... is Nagato here?" the man said, looking worried.

"Yahiko? What are you doing here?" Naruto stepped back to let the man inside.

"Zetsu called me last night. He told me that Nagato had kidnapped you, and that Gaara and Sasuke thought he might have taken you to Konoha. I couldn't find an address listed for you in Konoha, but there was one for Uchiha so I thought I'd try it. Are you ok? Is Nagato here? Is he ok?"

Naruto could sense only genuine concern and worry coming from the older man. He relaxed a little. "Yeah. We're all fine. He just took me to the cemetery when I fell asleep in his car after dinner."

Yahiko cursed, then looked at Naruto intently. "He would never hurt you. Please... please don't press charges against him on this. I've cancelled the rest of my tour. I'm going to stay with him and help him. I'll make sure this doesn't happen again."

Naruto took in the exhausted look and disheveled state of the rock star. And felt true admiration and respect for him in a way he hadn't before. Yahiko might be terrible as a lover, but as a friend, he could be amazing. "Don't worry. I'm not pressing charges. I found out about... everything. I want to help him, too. He needs a doctor," Naruto said firmly. Yahiko looked down, but nodded. "When we get back to Suna, we'll find him a good one. Right now Nagato's sleeping. I'll take you to his room. You look like you could use some rest as well. There are extra rooms if you want or -"

"I'll stay with Nagato," Yahiko said softly.

They headed towards the stairs to find Itachi standing there. He nodded briefly to Yahiko when Naruto introduced them, and shot Naruto a questioning look. Naruto took Yahiko to Nagato's room, then came back to update Itachi on what was going on. He was under no illusions about how complicated this was all going to be. But for the first time in his life, he felt like he had someone who really needed him... someone he could help. Some small piece of his fucked up past that he could put to rights.

-xXx-

_to be continued..._

Next chapter will be tying up final loose ends, and closing the story. Anything you are dying to know about or have happen (but not a stupid break-up, since that would not work) please let me know and if I can work it in, I will. I usually take a bit of time to write final chapters, because I re-read the entire fic at least 2 times before I write it to make sure I didn't leave something out.


	19. Resolutions

**Summary:**

Naruto had been a good boy all through high school, and what had it gotten him? Rejected by his best friend for a series of one-night-stands. (OOC: darker Naruto, sexual Sasuke) SasuNaru - College AU

 **Warning 18+ only:** **Hard Yaoi (Boy x Boy)** Not appropriate for young readers. LEMONS (duh), a little role playing and light bondage. Not crazy kinky, but if you are sexually conservative then... what the hell are you doing reading me anyway?

 **Author's note:** Yay, the final chapter! As with almost all my 'final chapters' it is **_really_** long, but I didn't want to split it.  Thank you to everyone who has reviewed regularly. I can honestly say that I wrote this fic for you, because I would have given up on it at like chapter 3 without your support and encouragement.

-xXx-

When Itachi and Yahiko had gone back to sleep, Naruto decided he should find the kitchen and see what kind of food Itachi might have available for this many unexpected houseguests. Naruto figured the least he could do was cook after keeping the man up all night (waiting for him in a graveyard) then imposing on his hospitality. Unfamiliar with the layout of the mansion, he wandered through the massive first floor until he found the large, gourmet kitchen.

Even Nagato's kitchen hadn't been this intimidating. Naruto had to stare at the cupboards for a few minutes before he discovered which panels were actually a massive Subzero refrigerator in disguise. He had just opened it and was peering inside when he heard a throat clear behind him. A man he had never seen was standing there.

"May I help you, sir?" The man asked politely. Naruto guessed that this must be one of the household staff. It hadn't even occurred to him that there would be someone. Nagato valued his privacy, and didn't keep anyone in his home, and simply had a cleaning lady that came twice a week.

"Um... I'm Naruto. Some friends and I ended up crashing here unexpectedly and I thought I'd make some food for when everyone woke up."

"How many guests are there?" the man asked pragmatically.

"Counting Itachi and Sasuke, there are six of us."

The man asked some basic questions about food likes and dislikes, then soon was planning out the meal. Naruto felt a little awkward as the man insisted that Naruto go back to the living room or library and relax while he cooked. It turned out to be a good call, because the guy had serious culinary skills. He quickly prepared a variety of dishes that would keep well, as people slowly woke up at different times to eat.

The last two up were Sasuke and Yahiko. They came down at almost exactly the same time, eyeing each other warily on the stairs. Sasuke wondered when Yahiko had arrived, and what he was doing here, but didn't want to actually speak to him to find out. He knew a certain blond that would likely be able to tell him what he needed to know. They heard voices and followed them into the living room, where Gaara and Naruto were playing Halo on the Xbox. Itachi and Nagato were talking on the couch, watching them play. Everyone looked up as the two men walked in. Naruto literally cringed at seeing them together. Itachi simply raised an eyebrow.

"There's food in the kitchen if you're hungry. The rest of us have eaten," Itachi said.

Naruto paused the game and walked over to Sasuke, not quite sure what would happen if Sasuke and Yahiko went to the kitchen together unsupervised. There were sharp objects there, after all. He saw Sasuke's questioning look shot at Yahiko, and answered it.

"Yahiko heard about what happened from Zetsu. He flew to Konoha and looked up Itachi's address. He came over this morning when everyone else was sleeping, hoping Itachi knew where Nagato was and what had happened. He was really worried about Nagato... he cancelled the rest of his tour to be with him."

Sasuke frowned, but didn't say anything. He couldn't criticize the guy for worrying about his friend. As much as he could criticize Yahiko for any number of _other_ things.

"Go back to your game, Dobe," Sasuke said. "We'll be fine without your chaperonage." He leaned over and gave Naruto a hard kiss on his mouth.

Naruto looked at Yahiko, who was already heading in the direction that Itachi had indicated the kitchen would be found. Naruto could tell by the tension in the older man's shoulders that he had seen the kiss. As had everyone else in the room, including Itachi. Who was almost grinning. "You have to do that in front of everyone?" Naruto mumbled to Sasuke.

Sasuke didn't bother to hide his smirk.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "At least I got to pick my own T-shirt this morning," Naruto indicated the plain black shirt he had borrowed from Sasuke's drawer. He had checked it twice to be sure it was free of Uchiha symbolism.

"That can be fixed," Sasuke said, then headed to the kitchen.

Yahiko was already dishing himself some of the miso soup and rice balls.

Sasuke did the same, the stiff silence stretching.

Finally Sasuke broke it. "Look, I will respect Naruto's working relationship with you, and your presence here to look after Nagato. But don't pull any more crap like you did at the bar that night. Stay away from Naruto."

Yahiko smirked. "You're not even six months into your relationship, and you're already trying to control him? What, don't you trust him around me?" The rock star leaned back casually against the counter, knowing perfectly well the position emphasized his innate sexuality.

"I trust Naruto. I just don't want you to forget that _I'm_ the one he's with now. By his choice," Sasuke said, not hiding the arrogance he felt in that statement.

"I guess. But..." Yahiko shrugged casually then walked over to stand directly next to Sasuke, and whispered into his ear, "... just don't forget who taught him how to use that tongue ring of his."

Sasuke gave a lethal smile and placed his hand on Yahiko's shoulder in a gesture that to an outsider might have looked friendly. "Fair enough. But who do you think he used it on last night?"

-xXx-

Yahiko was able to pull a few strings with his influence in Suna to get Nagato in to see one of the leading psychiatrists the following week. Naruto and Yahiko went with Nagato down to Dr. Shizune's office, but were told to stay in the waiting room while she evaluated him. They sat there for almost two hours, keeping each other awkward company and reading the periodicals that were left on the end tables. Some of them bore photos of Yahiko, and the rocker ignored those.

Naruto looked over, watching the older, usually over-confidant man slowly crumble into a puddle of nerves. If Dr. Shizune deemed that Nagato was a danger to himself or to others, he might be placed directly into an institution. They would not be able to control the outcome of this evaluation beyond a certain point.

"Hey," Naruto said softly. "It's going to be ok."

Yahiko blew out a shaky breath. "He was there for me, you know. In the orphanage. Always. He looked out for me. You don't know what that place was like for the younger kids."

Yahiko shot a glance at Naruto, "Well, maybe you do know. But Nagato was always there for me. He protected me from some serious shit. And here I am, just fucking _sitting_ here while he gets put through the wringer by someone who doesn't know jack about him but will still have the right to lock him up."

Naruto walked over and sat down by him. "Yahiko, we all looked into finding the best doctor for him. Dr. Shizune is it. She won't lock him up unless the choice is between that and him killing himself or ending up in jail. If anyone can help him recover, it's her."

Yahiko paled at the thought of Nagato killing himself. "He's just always been the one I trusted... the one I could count on. I know he has problems. But he just..."

"I know. He was there for me, too. Not in the same way, but... I care what happens to him, too. We're going to get him through this."

Yahiko nodded miserably, and rested his head in his hands. "Thanks."

Naruto shifted back, breaking contact and picked up one of the magazines that had Yahiko on the cover. "Have you heard this guy's stuff? It sucks."

Yahiko laughed a little. "Yeah. The vocals and lyrics are total crap."

Naruto hit him over the head with the magazine, just as the door opened. "You two can come in now. Nagato asked that you hear the results of the assessment."

Yahiko and Naruto cast nervous glances at each other, then rose and followed the doctor into her office. Nagato was sitting in a comfortable chair facing a similar chair that Dr. Shizune had returned to. There was no desk. Naruto and Yahiko sat in chairs off to one side.

"Nagato has untreated post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as clinical depression and an associated anxiety disorder," she briefly explained all three conditions, and their likely source in Nagato's childhood traumas. "His fixation on Naruto was basically the opposite of a stressor or trigger to his past mental traumas. Naruto reminded him of the one person he had truly felt 'safe' around after the events of his childhood, and the internalization of the survivor guilt that came from that. He sought Naruto out to regain that sense of security. Not out of some urge to harm him."

Naruto looked at Nagato, who was looking down at the floor. Naruto didn't want Nagato to feel embarrassed or uncomfortable about this... he wanted Nagato to know that there was no shame in what he was going through. No one was judging him for it. Naruto was just about to go over to the older man, when Yahiko stood and went and sat on the armrest of Nagato's chair, bending down to rest his forehead to Nagato's. "It's not your fault, Nagi," he said softly. "Did you hear what she said? This is all coming from that fire. You were fine before then. We can work through this. It isn't your fault."

Nagato raised his head and looked up at Yahiko, a small smile forming on his face. "You haven't called me that since we were kids."

Yahiko smiled gently back. "I just wanted to look cool and grown up."

Nagato looked over at Naruto, who smiled back encouragingly. "It's ok, Nagato," was all Naruto could think of to say. After Yahiko's gesture, everything else felt pretty anticlimactic.

Shizune cleared her throat. "It is my professional opinion that Nagato is not an immediate threat to himself or others at this time, and therefore does not require hospitalization." Naruto and Yahiko both let out visible breaths of relief as she continued. "His fixation on Naruto was to provide security to himself and to you, Naruto. He was never a danger to you. He will require weekly cognitive-behavioral therapy sessions to begin to treat his PTSD and anxiety disorder, but I would also recommend he practice relaxation and meditation techniques at home. It will be better if one of you help him with these. There are also medications that he could take, but given his history of drug and alcohol use, I would prefer to use other methods for now. If there is no progress after the first month, we will reconsider medication. We will start out with a low dose of an anti-depressant, but you will need to monitor him for suicidal behavior."

Naruto's head jerked up at that. "What? I thought you just said he wasn't a risk to himself. Doesn't anti-depressant mean it should make him _less_ depressed, not suddenly suicidal?" Naruto said, beginning to wonder if maybe they didn't choose the right doctor after all.

Shizune smiled a little. "The human brain is incredibly complex, particularly the chemistry associated with it. Antidepressants act differently in everyone. On average, this should make him better. But if it doesn't, we need to monitor him and switch the medication right away."

"I'll be staying with him," Yahiko said. "Just tell me what I need to do."

"I'll be there, too," Naruto said. He hadn't talked to Sasuke yet about living with Nagato. With Yahiko also moving in with him for the time being, Naruto was pretty sure Sasuke was not going to be happy. But at least for this initial period, he wanted to stay with Nagato and help him through it. If there was something about Naruto that calmed Nagato down and could help him deal with his past better, then Naruto wanted to be there for him. Especially if they were going to have to take turns on suicide watch while Nagato got used to the new medication.

"You are lucky to have such good friends to support you, Nagato," Shizune said, smiling.

"I know," Nagato said softly.

Shizune explained the specifics of the therapy, relaxation techniques, and potential side effects of the medication. Naruto, Nagato, and Yahiko listened carefully, determined to see this through.

. . . . . . .

Later that evening, Naruto lay with his arm wrapped loosely around Sasuke in Sasuke's giant bed as he explained the diagnosis and the recommended treatment, gently stroking Sasuke's naked back. When he reached the end of what the doctor had explained, he paused, waiting to see if Sasuke had any questions.

They lay facing each other, limbs still entwined from the evening's earlier activities. "So I am assuming that the reason that you chose this particular setting to tell me is that you are going to ask me if you can move in with Nagato to help with his treatment."

Naruto had the grace to blush. "Erm... was I really that obvious?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Let's just say that being a professional poker player or a spy would not be a viable career option for you," Sasuke said, putting his hand over Naruto's face and pushing him into the pillow. "But since the doctor says Nagato isn't a risk, I guess it is ok. I can be a reasonable guy, Dobe. Next time just ask me."

"Umm..." Naruto chewed his lip trying to figure out how to bring up the fact that Yahiko would also be staying there. He had seen the expression on Yahiko and Sasuke's faces when they had come out of Itachi's kitchen together. They clearly hadn't bonded over a shared meal.

"What," Sasuke said flatly.

"Well, you know how the doctor said that having support was really important to the success of the whole process..." Naruto began.

"Yes, and I already said I'm fine with you staying with him to help him through this," Sasuke said, frowning, wondering what the issue was. "What, are the relaxation sessions supposed to be naked or something?"

"Haha, naked. That's a good one, Sasuke," Naruto said nervously.

"Just spit it out. What aren't you telling me?"

"Well, you know how Yahiko is really worried about Nagato... I mean, they're like brothers... "

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Yahiko is going to move in with Nagato as well?"

Naruto sighed. "He moved in yesterday."

Sasuke was quiet for a few minutes. "Ok."

Naruto just looked at Sasuke in shock for a minute or two. "Ok?"

Sasuke sighed, and began idly running his fingers through Naruto's hair. "Look. If you were going to get back together with Yahiko, it's not like you won't have plenty of opportunities either way. You're already going to be spending a lot of time together during the days and evening working with Nagato while I'm at work. Nagato's house is huge... it's not like you'd be sharing a bedroom. Or even in the same hallway. Plus most nights we'll be sleeping together anyway, whether it's in your bed or mine. You need to do this. I know you well enough to know that. You were the kid picking up every bird with a broken wing that crossed your path when we were kids. And your tie to Nagato is more than it was to those pathetic birds."

Naruto just looked at Sasuke for a few minutes, taking in the level of trust and understanding of him that his boyfriend was showing. "Every once in a while, I remember why I love you so damn much in the first place."

Sasuke's hand froze in Naruto's hair. "What?"

Naruto looked at him intently. But didn't repeat it. "You heard me, bastard," he said, pulling their mouths together as Sasuke rolled on top of him.

"Say it again," Sasuke said low into Naruto's ear as he slid his hands along the inside of the tan thighs, pressing them apart. They hadn't showered yet from their earlier activities, and their bodies were still sticky and slightly slick. Naruto grabbed Sasuke's wrists and flipped their positions, pinning Sasuke to the bed beneath him with Sasuke's arms up just above his head on the pillow. Naruto slowly lowered himself over Sasuke's erection, controlling the pace and depth. "Say it again," Sasuke said, straining to try to free his wrists and regain control. But Naruto had leverage from this position, and simply gripped Sasuke's wrists harder, pushing them deeper into the bed as he slowly built tempo.

"Say... say it.." Sasuke said, trying to ignore the pleading he heard in his own voice.

Naruto leaned down, giving a slow lick just below Sasuke's ear. "I love you."

"Oh, fuck, Naruto," Sasuke's voice cracked as he arched up into his climax, feeling his whole word go white. He grabbed the blond fiercely, kissing and sucking on the blond's lips as though to fuse the truth of those words between their mouths.

-xXx-

Two weeks.

Naruto hadn't seen Sasuke for two entire weeks. And really not much for the week before that, because the bastard had had to complete several projects early to get permission to miss two weeks of class without it affecting his grades. But it was the annual board meeting for Uchiha Industries, and Sasuke had wanted to go with Itachi this year to visit each of their offices globally and prepare the next year's business plans.

Naruto looked at his watch as he saw the motorcycle racers line up. Sasuke's flight back from Konoha should have landed about an hour ago, which meant his taxi should be bringing him to the track any minute. He had felt a little bad that he hadn't been able to meet Sasuke's plane at the airport, but this was Gaara's first race, and Naruto wasn't going to miss it. And honestly, he knew both himself and Sasuke well enough that if Naruto had been waiting at the airport to pick him up, they would have ended up having sex in the car rather than coming to see his friend's first race. And as much as Naruto's body had been missing Sasuke, he was going to give Gaara his support. Especially because if this race went well, it would mean his friend would be moving to the US.

The racing team from Los Angeles had selected a few promising cyclists to give a test run to. Gaara had been one of the ones picked. Naruto had met the man who did the talent scouting for the team. At first, he had been a little creeped out that the guy always had the lower part of his face covered. But when Kakashi had found out that Naruto's guardian wrote his favorite series of novels (and yes, Naruto was pretty sure it _wasn't_ the ones associated with the university), they had bonded. Kakashi had tried to get Naruto to race today as well, but Naruto had declined. The racers who made the grade would move to LA, and that wasn't something Naruto was interested in. His life was here, with Sasuke. He had also just agreed to work on a new album with Nagato and Yahiko. It would be shaped around Nagato's struggle with mental illness, and all three of them were writing for it. Naruto's life was finally taking shape, and he was building roots in Suna, with Sasuke. He still had two more years of school to complete, but everything that mattered to him was taking shape here.

A pair of strong arms snaked around his waist, and Naruto felt his body instantly react to the familiar presence. It had been too many days since he had felt that unique heat and form. He leaned back and closed his eyes, focused on nothing but soaking in the scent and feel of the man standing behind him.

"Aren't you even going to check to make sure it was me?" Sasuke asked, tightening his grip around Naruto and allowing him to feel just exactly how much Sasuke had missed him. It was by far the longest they had gone without sleeping together since they had started dating.

Naruto just laughed. "I don't need to look to know it's you. I'd be able to sense you blindfolded."

"Hn," Sasuke said, not really believing the words but liking the idea anyway. "Which one is Gaara?" Sasuke asked, trying to keep his mind focused on the fact that they were not yet alone in his bed, and he needed to control himself. He had thought it had been hard when he had not been able to see Naruto much the week before he left on his trip, but that was nothing compared to two entire weeks without even setting eyes on the blond. He was a little shaken at how unbearable it had been... how dependent he had already become on having Naruto in his life. The overwhelming feeling of relief and _hunger_ that had swamped him as he had recognized Naruto's familiar form watching the race left him feeling exposed and vulnerable. He didn't want to _need_ someone this much. His arms tightened unconsciously around the tan waist.

As bad as it had been when their friendship had fallen apart before, Sasuke knew that it would be exponentially worse if he lost Naruto now that they were lovers. He realized on this trip that on some level he wouldn't survive it. And it scared the shit out of him. The only thing that had kept him sane was replaying the three words Naruto had said to him a month ago. Naruto didn't use words like that casually. He meant them. Naruto wouldn't leave Sasuke. Sasuke clung to that knowledge like a lifeline. He felt sometimes that Naruto could be happy with someone else, if they had never met. But Sasuke knew that for him, Naruto would be the only one. It was him or nothing. He wondered what would happen when Naruto eventually learned the power he held over him. Sasuke laughed softly at himself. At least he was lucky to have fallen for someone who was an honestly good person. Naruto would never wield that power to hurt. Sasuke's complete trust in Naruto in that regard was the only thing keeping him sane with his new realization.

"Gaara's the green helmet, racer number 1," Naruto said, pointing him out. The race had already started, and Gaara was in second place. " _Go ichibi!_ " Naruto screamed as the racers went by.

"Ichibi?" Sasuke asked skeptically, trying to keep his mind focused on the race and not the way Naruto's hard body felt pressed against his. "Why are you calling him One Tail?"

"Well, he's racer number one, and he drives like a demon, and demons usually have tails, right?"

Sasuke just looked at him in silence. Naruto had clearly put too much thought into this.

"You're just jealous because you didn't think of a cool nickname for him," Naruto said, chuckling.

"Yes, that's _exactly_ what I'm feeling right now," Sasuke said drily. He put his face in Naruto's hair and drew a deep breath. For some reason, it felt like the first real breath he'd had in two weeks. Something inside of him unknotted, at the same time another sort of tension began to coil within him. Sasuke idly wondered how much longer they'd have to wait until the race was over and they could leave. He just needed to be alone with Naruto, and get his bearings back.

. . . .

Gaara came in first of all the new recruits, and had beaten all but one of the professional racers that had been in the race to test the new meat.

Naruto went over to congratulate him, Sasuke reluctantly following behind. "So, this means you're moving to LA?" Naruto said, trying to sound excited rather than bummed.

"I'm going to race during the summer break. If things work out, I might transfer and finish school over there. If I don't like it, I'll come back in the fall."

Naruto nodded. He knew Gaara was obsessed with motorcycles. And it would get him away from his father, which was basically Gaara's one primary goal in life.

Kakashi came up and clapped his hand on Gaara's shoulder. "That was some race," he looked over to Naruto. "You ever reconsider, give me a call."

Gaara and Kakashi walked off to talk business. Sasuke raised a brow at Naruto. "You raced? I thought you said you weren't going to." Sasuke's parents had died in a car accident. He had never said anything explicitly about it, but the thought of Naruto racing sat in his stomach like a block of ice.

Naruto grimaced and scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, I didn't buy a racing bike or anything. But Kakashi let us test a few out last week and..."

Naruto trailed off, looking at the expression on Sasuke's face and deciding to quit while he was ahead. "I told him I wasn't interested in joining the team. I don't want to move to LA. It was just a one-time thing."

Sasuke looked slightly relieved. "Good. I don't plan on chasing you to yet another city, Dobe."

"Nah. We're good here," Naruto said. The honesty of the statement made Sasuke smile. "So... where's your suitcase?"'

"Suigetsu took it to the office. I had left my car parked there while I was gone, since I knew I'd come back with tons of paperwork to drop off."

They walked over to the parking lot, and stopped at Naruto's motorcycle.

Sasuke eyed the motorcycle skeptically. After seeing Gaara race, he was even less excited about getting on one of those things again.

Naruto pulled Sasuke's body so they were separated by a bare inch. Despite the chill in the February air, both boys could feel the heat jump between them. Anticipation flared in an instant.

"How was your trip?" Naruto asked, licking his suddenly dry lips. Sasuke's eyes followed the movement of the blond's tongue.

Sasuke hooked his finger into Naruto's belt loop, pulling the blond's body flush with his. "You said you'd make it up to me that you wouldn't be waiting for me at the airport," he said, his voice husky, ignoring Naruto's question.

Naruto breathed out a shaky chuckle, then handed Sasuke his helmet. "Well then, let's hurry up and get your bag from your office so we can get back to your place and I can make good on my promise."

Naruto swung his leg over his bike, looking back and Sasuke with a raised brow. The glance went unnoticed, however, as Sasuke's gaze was firmly latched on Naruto's ass, which was looking rather fine in the tight jeans he was wearing. As Sasuke considered the position they would be in during the motorcycle ride, he realized there could be some rather interesting side benefits that are not available in car travel. With a slight smirk, he pulled his helmet on.

If Naruto was going to insist on keeping his motorcycle, Sasuke decided he might as well learn to enjoy it.

He mounted the motorcycle, seating himself directly behind Naruto. Rather than wrapping his arms around the younger boy's waist, he gripped his lover by the hip bones, bringing the ass he had been admiring a few seconds ago directly in contact with his crotch. He felt Naruto's body tense, and heard the low chuckle escape the pink lips. Yes, motorcycles definitely had their advantages.

Naruto started the bike, then pulled out of the lot. Given the post-race traffic, they had to make their way slowly. Sasuke didn't mind. Every bump they drove over caused Naruto's ass to slide slightly over his increasingly hard erection. Sasuke was glad he was seated behind Naruto, since his loose, fine wool dress pants did little to restrain his rather significant arousal. They pulled up to a traffic light, and Sasuke used the opportunity to put his feet down for leverage as he rocked his hips against Naruto's backside, glad the noise of the bike's engine covered his groan. He saw Naruto's knuckles whiten on handle bars, and thought he heard him mutter a curse, but he couldn't make it out.

The light turned green, and Sasuke put his feet back on the foot rests. The vibration of the engine wasn't helping his state of arousal any. Sasuke wished he could take his helmet off so he could suck on the back of Naruto's neck. Frustrated at the inability to do so, Sasuke settled for sliding one hand up the front of Naruto's sweatshirt. His hands were cool, and he could feel Naruto's abs clench at the feel. Sasuke kept it there, soaking in the heat from Naruto's body.

Sasuke tried to let the cool air calm his body. But Naruto evidently had other ideas, as he shifted back and pressed against Sasuke's groin. Sasuke bit back a strangled groan, using his other hand to tighten his grip on Naruto's hip. Sasuke fisted his other hand into the front of Naruto's sweatshirt, tugging it down so it covered the front of Naruto's pants.

Having created a camouflage for his next action, Sasuke slid his hand along the inside of Naruto's thigh until he reached his groin, then cupped his hand around Naruto's already prominent erection. He was not going to be the only one hard on the ride to his office. Naruto briefly took one hand off the handlebars to pull Sasuke's hand off, but traffic required him to immediately return it to control the motorcycle.

As soon as he realized Naruto's predicament, Sasuke smiled. Naruto's hands were as good as bound. He wouldn't be able to release the handlebars in this traffic without fear of crashing. Sasuke leaned his chest flush against Naruto's back, keeping one hand viced around his hip but bringing the other to wrap around his waist. He slowly slid one hand down the flat of Naruto's stomach and over the bulge between his thighs. He could feel the vibration of Naruto's groan through his back, though he couldn't hear it. The transmission of the sound via vibration through their bodies felt somehow more intimate than when he could rely on his ears to hear the sounds Naruto made. He didn't think it was possible to get any more turned on than he had been, but this proved him wrong.

Given that most of his blood was now located somewhere south of Sasuke's brain, he didn't really think about the risks of what he decided to do next. He slid his hand into the waistband of Naruto's pants, wrapping his fingers around the erection he found there and trying to pump. Finding the tightness of Naruto's jeans to be too restrictive, Sasuke quickly pulled his hand out and undid the fly. He pulled hard on the hem of Naruto's sweatshirt to keep his actions concealed from any curious passers-by in the cars surrounding them.

He was now able to slide his hands into Naruto's boxers with much less difficultly. He immediately curled his fingers around Naruto's cock and pumped, pulling it forward slightly and flicking his thumb across the slit. Naruto bobbled the motorcycle and almost crossed the divider before regaining control. Sasuke didn't care. Surprisingly, his fear of motorcycles had completely vanished from his thoughts. Possibly because his brain was not currently having any. He could feel vibrations in Naruto's chest, and he heard Naruto's voice but couldn't make out the words between the muffling effect of the helmet and the noise of the engine. Presumably Naruto was saying something to him, but even if it would have been possible for him to hear what it was, Sasuke wasn't interested.

Instead, he rocked his hips, pulling Naruto's ass hard against his dick while continuing to pump. There wasn't quite enough leverage to get the friction he needed, so the motion just ended up frustrating Sasuke instead. The stopped at another light, and Sasuke seriously considered pulling Naruto's pants down and fucking him right there.

Fortunately, common sense hadn't completely abandoned him, though he did briefly wish that Naruto were a Scotsman or into cross-dressing. If Naruto had a skirt on rather than jeans, it would have certainly made things more possible. However, Sasuke was quite sure that suggesting Naruto wear a skirt next time would result in instant castration, so he simply did what he could to relieve some of the tension by snaking his free arm around Naruto's waist and pulling him back hard against him, rocking his hips forcefully in time with the pumping of his hand.

 _Un_ fortunately, the red light allowed Naruto to take both hands off the handle bars and grab Sasuke's wrist, removing his grip on Naruto's cock while the blond quickly jerked up his zipper. With the engine idling, he was able to make out the steady stream of Naruto's cursing. If Sasuke weren't almost losing his mind from horniness right then, he would have laughed. Luckily, they were now only a couple of blocks from his office.

By the time they pulled into the parking lot, they were both beyond ready. Sasuke was so hard he though he might actually break his zipper. There was no way they were going to be able to wait until they got back to his apartment. He was hoping they would at least make it out of the parking lot. He was pretty sure there were security cameras out there, and with his luck, Itachi was probably monitoring them remotely from Konoha.

They pulled off their helmets as they got off the bike. Naruto managed to hang his on the handlebars, but Sasuke just dropped his on the concrete and fisted his fingers into Naruto's hair, tugging him into a fierce, open-mouthed kiss.

"We should have just gone home, fucked first, then come back for my bag," Sasuke panted.

"You bastard," Naruto gasped, then bit Sasuke's lower lip hard enough to draw blood. "You almost made me crash the fucking bike."

"Sorry," Sasuke said, sounding totally unapologetic as he cupped Naruto's ass and lifted him against his erection, stumbling into the wall of the parking garage as he overbalanced.

"Liar," Naruto said, grabbing a fist full of Sasuke's black hair and jerking it back to expose the pale neck. Sasuke's groan sounded almost like a growl as Naruto latched his lips at the pulse point and sucked hard.

"I'm gonna cum if you don't... we need to... fuck, Naruto!" Sasuke used the wall to push himself off Naruto an instant before he would have climaxed, both their chests heaving with arousal.

"You started it," Naruto said, his voice rough, blue eyes almost black with lust. "Crazy bastard."

Sasuke looked at him and shuddered with the need to be with him. It almost overwhelmed him.

Sasuke would have grabbed Naruto by the arm and dragged him into the building, but he didn't trust himself at the moment to even touch his lover without taking him right there in the parking lot, in full view of his security personnel.

"Office. Now," he said, then turned and stalked to the entrance, using his security card to open the door to the tall, shiny office building.

Naruto snickered. "I love it when you get so horny you can't even form complete sentences."

Sasuke just threw a glance over his shoulder and kept walking, making sure that Naruto was following him. He went to the elevator, and punched the button for the 32nd floor where his office was. Naruto glanced at him, then the security camera visible in the top right corner of the elevator. He moved to stand as far as possible from Sasuke, hoping the distance would allow them some control.

Sasuke was having none of it.

In two strides he had closed the distance and was pressing Naruto up against the mirrored wall of the elevator.

"Cameras, Sasuke," Naruto said, feeling his eyes roll back in his head as he felt Sasuke's clever hands sliding simultaneously up his shirt and down the front of his pants.

"Don't care. Missed you," Sasuke said, pressing harder.

Naruto wondered why he always found himself getting screwed in his lovers' places of business in front of cameras. He really hoped that at least this one wouldn't wind up on the internet. At least Sai had been officially prohibited from photographing Naruto, Sasuke, or any of their friends without express, written consent.

"Your office better not have cameras, or I'm leaving now and waiting for you back at your place," Naruto gasped as Sasuke's thumbnail scraped down his nipple.

"No cameras," Sasuke said, barely restraining himself from undoing the fastenings on their pants.

Luckily the elevator chimed that they had reached their destination, and they stumbled out and down the hall to Sasuke's corner office. It was a Saturday afternoon and the office appeared empty. They walked in, and Sasuke noted distractedly that his suitcase was in fact there, left by the thoughtful Suigetsu.

Sasuke kicked the door closed behind them as he shoved Naruto down on his desk, not caring about what papers or pens went flying in the process. He had unzipped Naruto's pants and was in the process of yanking them down when Naruto's hands gripped his wrists and pulled them away.

"Oh, no. Not that fast you bastard. You are going to pay for torturing me on the ride over here," Naruto said, gasping as Sasuke's mouth was attacking its way down his throat.

"Naruto..." Sasuke growled as Naruto once again blocked his hands.

"No way. You tortured me. Now I'm going to torture you," Naruto said, shoving Sasuke off him and walking behind the desk to where the mahogany captain's chair was positioned.

Sasuke walked over, grabbing Naruto's hand and placing it on Sasuke's straining erection. "I think we've both suffered enough, don't you?"

Naruto wrapped his fingers around Sasuke's clothed erection, the thin wool doing little to conceal the hard heat and dampness found there. "Sit," Naruto said, not removing his hand or slowing his motions. Sasuke's eyes were closed with his head thrown back, clearly not hearing Naruto's words.

Instead of repeating himself, Naruto simply grabbed Sasuke and pushed him down into the chair. "Hold onto the arm rests. Don't lift your hands," Naruto commanded.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. He didn't want foreplay.

"I promised I'd make it worth your while, right? I don't think a two-minute fuck on top of your desk exactly qualifies," Naruto said, a cocky smile on his lips.

"It's been three weeks. We can go for the marathon later," Sasuke said flatly.

Naruto leaned over him, pressing him back into his chair. "Hmmmm... you look pretty stressed, Uchiha-sama," Naruto said, circling his finger over the clothed head of Sasuke's erection.

"God, you have no fucking idea," Sasuke gritted out.

Naruto thumbed the fastening of Sasuke's pants open, then knelt between his legs and slowly pulled the zipper down, not breaking eye contact. "Why don't you let me help you with that," Naruto said as Sasuke's erection bobbed free, and Naruto's fingers and tongue immediately encircled it with teasingly light touches.

"Mmhhh... yes, nhhhggg," Sasuke said, feeling like he was going to come out of his skin if Naruto didn't stop teasing and get to the point soon.

The door to Sasuke's office burst open, and Karin stood there, apparently in the process of striking a sexy pose with her blouse partially unbuttoned. Her face and fingers were frozen in absolute shock at the scene she had walked in on. "I... Sasuke-san... Suigetsu said... you were back... oh, god... "

Naruto felt like he was about to die of embarrassment, even thought he was still fully clothed. Sasuke simply glared at her, seemingly unconcerned about his state of exposure... literally caught with his pants down.

"Karin, I warned you. I gave you one more chance to stop these inappropriate advances. You can apply for a position in one of our other offices, but you need to have your desk here cleared out by Monday."

"I... but... you're GAY?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Get. Out. Now."

Karin simply stumbled back, not even bothering to close the door.

Naruto looked from the empty doorway back to Sasuke's seemingly unfazed expression. "Did you just... fire your VP while I was sucking you off in your office?"

"She's lucky that's all I did for interrupting us."

Naruto didn't know quite what to say.

"I'll let her apply for a position somewhere else in the company. But I was quite clear that she needed to stop. It was interfering with her ability to perform her job. It was unprofessional. And it bothered you," Sasuke said, his voice lowering as he leaned forward and pulled Naruto's face to his. Their tongues twined around each other for several heated seconds. Then Naruto stood and walked over to the door.

"This time, I'm locking it," he said. They had both cooled off a bit after the very awkward interruption. Naruto looked around the office, never having actually been in it before. It was large, with windows making up most of two of the walls. There was a seating area with a leather sofa and two leather arm chairs, a mahogany coffee table in between them, and the door to what presumably was a private bathroom behind it. Then there was the massive mahogany desk, and its captain's chair behind it where Sasuke sat.

Naruto would freely admit to fantasizing about having sex in his boyfriend's office, especially on the nights where Sasuke had to work late and Naruto was left to his own devices. He often ended up imagining coming down here, and 'surprising' Sasuke. The thoughts of what he wanted to do to his lover in his place of business usually ended with Naruto needing to take a shower to deal with the resulting hard-on while he waited for Sasuke's schedule to free up.

He wondered if Sasuke's mind was always strictly business when he had to go days on end working late.

"So... this is where you spend all those late nights without me," Naruto said seemingly innocently. "Hmmm... at least now I have some better visuals of the place for when I'm home alone thinking about all the things I'd rather be doing with you here." That part was said much less innocently.

Sasuke smiled slowly. "Anything specific you think about, Dobe?"

Naruto's wolfish smile answered back. "Maybe. Probably. What about you? Are you always focused on your spreadsheets when you're here working like a good little businessman?"

"Possibly not. There might be times when I have a particularly annoying conference call where I wish you were under my desk sucking me off," Sasuke said, his tone seeming casual but the reaction in his groin showing he was not.

"Ok, so that is shockingly similar to a few things I've thought about as well," Naruto said, his eyes directed at Sasuke's lap where the conversation was having a visible effect.

"But there are other things I've thought about as well," Sasuke said, his eyes hot and dark.

"Like what?" Naruto asked, enjoying this more verbal side of his usually stoic lover.

"Undress for me," Sasuke said, using the same tone of voice that he used to order his subordinates around the office.

Instantly, Naruto's hackles rose. "What?" He didn't like taking orders, especially not from Sasuke.

"Take. Off. Your. Clothes." Sasuke said in a hard, formal voice. Then he lowered his eyes to half mast and said softly, "Or you're fired."

Naruto's scowl slowly faded to a slow smile. So Sasuke wanted to role play? Naruto supposed he had started it a bit already with the 'Uchiha-sama' comment when they first arrived. He had long ago decided he would be the Pervert's ghost writer before he'd take a job working under Sasuke... the guy was arrogant enough as it was. Sasuke had suggested having Naruto get a job in Uchiha Industries at one point when they were in high school, and Naruto had immediately changed the subject, assuming Sasuke had just wanted the chance to lord his authority over him. But in this new context, the idea suddenly seemed more appealing. At least for pretend. Naruto smiled slowly, then began unzipping his sweatshirt. Maybe Sasuke had been thinking about this for longer than Naruto would have guessed. Naruto pulled it off then let it hit the ground.

"Pants or shirt next, Uchiha-sama," Naruto asked, still smirking. The way Sasuke's cock jumped at the question showed that Naruto was playing the game correctly.

"Shirt," Sasuke said flatly.

Naruto reached over his head and grabbed the back of his T-shirt and slowly pulled it off over his head, then threw it aside.

"Come here," Sasuke said as Naruto's hands began unfastening his jeans.

"Ok," Naruto said, then walked over.

Sasuke frowned and raised an arrogant brow.

"I mean..." Naruto smiled wolfishly. "Yes, _Uchiha-sama._ "

By now Sasuke's cock was weeping. "Now take your pants off."

Naruto slowly pulled the zipper down, then smoothly pushed his jeans down and stepped out of them. Sasuke's heated gaze followed his every slight motion, and the attention went straight to Naruto's groin. They were both achingly hard, and they hadn't even touched each other yet.

"Now the boxers," Sasuke said, opening a drawer in his desk and pulling out a spare ethernet cable while Naruto's boxers followed the same path his jeans had taken.

Naruto stood facing Sasuke, completely naked while Sasuke was still basically fully clothed except for his exposed cock.

"Turn around," Sasuke ordered. Naruto did so, wondering what Sasuke had planned for the cable. His unasked question was answered when Sasuke grabbed both of Naruto's wrists and bound them behind his back with the cable.

"Service me," Sasuke said. Naruto knew exactly what Sasuke wanted, and he had no problem giving it to him.

"Yes, _Uchiha-sama_ ," Naruto said, his voice anything but submissive as he followed the directive. Sasuke shifted his hips forward in a not-so-subtle hint of what he expected Naruto to do. It was a bit awkward without the use of his hands, but Naruto leaned forward and slowly swirled his tongue around Sasuke's length, teasing him and hitting the spots he knew made Sasuke lose control.

Given how tightly wound he was after three weeks of no sex, Sasuke slid his fingers into Naruto's hair on either side of his head and thrust shallowly into his hot, wet mouth. Not one to be passive, Naruto sucked and drew him in deeper with a sharp bob of his head, deep throating him, then groaning, sending vibrations of sensation shooting up Sasuke's cock.

Sasuke pulled out, shuddering as he fought his climax with every ounce of self-control he possessed. In retrospect, indulging in one of his longest-held fantasies after three weeks of sexual deprivation was not probably one of his best ideas. There was no way he was going to last long enough to do even half of what he wanted with Naruto right now.

"Up," Sasuke said sharply, pulling Naruto to stand before him, between his chair and his desk.

Amusement flashed in blue eyes as Naruto realized that Sasuke was losing his vaunted self-control. "What's the matter, _Uchiha-sama_... no stamina for playing games today?"

The mocking tone in Naruto's voice - and utter lack of submission or deference in his stance - despite his wrists still bound behind his naked body sent another spurt of precum from Sasuke's cock.

"On the desk," Sasuke said, not waiting for Naruto to comply, but instead gripping the tan hips and lifting him slightly so Naruto was now seated on Sasuke's desk, facing him. Sasuke sat in his chair and grabbed Naruto's knees, forcing them wide open. He pulled his chair in, so that Naruto's knees were now on either side of Sasuke's torso, with Naruto's hands still bound behind him.

Sasuke slid his hands up the inside of his lover's thighs as his lips wrapped around Naruto's pulsing cock, and he slowly began to suck. It was time to even the score a bit. Naruto arched back, supporting his weight on his bound hands as Sasuke teased and sucked with increasing pace and depth. "Holy god, Sasuke," Naruto said, forgetting the game in the heat of his arousal. Sasuke hummed around him, and that was all it took.

Naruto came hard, his arms buckling behind him beneath the force of his orgasm, and he found himself laying on his back on Sasuke's desk, the pencil holder that had been behind him having crashed to the floor. Naruto opened his eyes to see Sasuke standing now, a self satisfied smirk on his face. "What happened to _your_ stamina, Naruto?"

"Fuck you," Naruto murmured lazily, still riding on his post-orgasm high.

He heard a soft chuckle and the faint click of a bottle being opened, and felt Sasuke's slickened fingers enter him and begin working the tight ring of muscle. Evidently Sasuke must have had more in that drawer than the extra cables. Sasuke didn't have the patience to fully prepare him before he hitched Naruto's knees up over his shoulders and drove into him, Naruto's bound hands useless behind him on the desk. There was nothing Naruto could do but just take it as Sasuke pounded mercilessly into him, gripping Naruto's hips to keep him in place on the edge of the desk.

"God, I have... wanted to fuck you... on this desk... since I first had it... delivered to my office," Sasuke said through clenched teeth. Naruto's last coherent thought was that it did explain why Sasuke had chosen such a massive desk, given his neat freak tendencies would never allow him to have piles of papers covering it. Then he heard Sasuke's hoarse cry of his name, as they both crashed over the keen edge of their desire.

Sasuke collapsed next to him on the desk, breathing heavily. "Now every time I'm at this desk, I'll remember fucking you on it. I wonder what I'll say to Itachi when he asks why my productivity is dropping."

Naruto chuckled, then wiggled his hands which were now falling asleep due to the constriction of the bindings on his circulation. He looked over and saw Sasuke's eyes beginning to drift closed in exhaustion. "If you fall asleep before untying my wrists, I will duck tape you to your chair with your pants down until someone from your office finds you Monday morning."

-xXx-

Suna University graduation ceremony.

Naruto and Itachi sat together as Sasuke's name was read and he crossed the stage to receive his diploma. Naruto looked over at Itachi, seeing the love and pride shining in his usually expressionless face as he watched his brother in his black cap and gown. Feeling his gaze, Itachi turned and gave a rare smile. Their thoughts were a complicated blend of pride, happiness, and sorrow. Sasuke had more than proven his academic prowess and personal drive. Both of which would likely to guarantee him a place of recognition in the business world or whatever venture he eventually took on. But as they looked at the flocks of family members that other graduates were surrounded by, it didn't go unnoticed that Sasuke had only two people here to support him. Despite the hordes of superficial admirers, Itachi and Naruto were Sasuke's only family.

But it was enough. They were a family, in the way that mattered most. And their bonds, though few, ran deep.

. . . .

They went out to dinner to celebrate, Itachi insisting on taking them to the best restaurant in town. He had made reservations months ahead for the occasion.

When they got back to Sasuke's apartment, Naruto reached under the couch and pulled out a poorly wrapped package, handing it to Sasuke and nearly bouncing up and down in his excitement for his friend to open it.

Sasuke began slowly removing the tape, trying to avoid ripping the (already crumpled) wrapping paper.

"Hurry up! It's not like your rich ass is going to re-use the paper or something," Naruto complained, too excited to be patient.

Itachi looked on in amusement as Sasuke smirked, and began to go even slower until Naruto wrenched the package out of his hands and tore the paper off himself, revealing the latest model of Xbox console and a whole set of games.

"So... what do you think? Your old one is back in Konoha at Itachi's place... so I figured we could have one here, too. Now that you're graduating, you might even have free time once in a while. And we could hook up with Itachi online and play sometimes, too."

"Yeah, if we want to get killed," Sasuke said, pained memories of humiliating defeats coming back to him. Itachi was basically unstoppable at any first-person shooter game. He once took out an entire city on his own, and didn't even lose a single life point. Itachi chuckled darkly. Naruto and Sasuke shivered.

Sasuke looked at the excitement in Naruto's face, and felt a slight tightening of his throat. He knew that for Naruto, this was a huge deal. It was the first time in his life he had been able to afford the present he actually wanted to give to someone. And it also was a part of so many memories of entire weekends spent together before everything had gone horribly wrong between them. A tangible part of their history together. "Well... do you like it?" Naruto persisted.

"It's ok," Sasuke said, his small smile showing he knew that was a gross understatement. Naruto rolled his eyes at Sasuke's feigned lack of enthusiasm. "Let's go set it up."

Sasuke reached out and grabbed Naruto's wrist before the blond could run off and begin. Their eyes locked, and everything that Sasuke couldn't say was written on his face. For once, he made no effort to conceal it. "Thanks."

Naruto drew a shuddering breath at the intensity of what he saw there. He bumped his shoulder against Sasuke's, then started walking over to the TV.

"If we play one-on-one, I am so totally going to kick your ass, bastard."

"In your dreams, moron," Sasuke replied as they started unpacking the box.

Itachi watched them play. It had taken them a lot to get to this place. But he supposed if it had come any easier, they wouldn't have known the worth of it.

Of course, Itachi had known since the first night that Naruto had stopped Sasuke's nightmares when they were kids that the two were meant to be together. And as usual, it had only taken the universe eight years to prove him right.

-xXx-

**_The End._ **

Thank you for sticking with this all the way to the end! This fic ended up being much longer than I expected, so I am glad you made it through.

There may or may not be a sequel to this... it depends on whether there is interest from you guys (and me, since right now I am happy with this ending). If I wrote a sequel, it would probably focus around what happens now that Sasuke has graduated... will he be able to manage his career and his relationship? And also how will Naruto's job affect things, and will working with Yahiko and Nagato complicate things as Nagato gets better. I might add in some lite YahiNaga, or NejiGaa (I only do lemons for Sasuke and Naruto, though). I will post a notice with a 'preview' chapter following this one if I ever do write it.


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